


Fix me, cure me, love me

by AnAuthorNamedMystic



Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Anxiety, Death, Depression, Drug Use, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Forbidden Love, Just own it fam, M/M, Physical Abuse, Profanity, Reader has some mental problems, Romance, There's gonna be a good bit of non christian words, You're a robo fucker, but that's okay, cursing, so just be prepared for that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-01-23 03:00:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21313075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnAuthorNamedMystic/pseuds/AnAuthorNamedMystic
Summary: You've seen him around. Even if it's only through brief trips to the plaza in-between witch school hours, you've seen him around. It's like he was built for your heart, and your terribly damaged heart alone. Metal has never felt so soft, and all you seem to need anymore is one eye on you. But with all of these obstacles and all of this baggage, will he even want you? Sure as hell won't stop you from trying.
Relationships: Darrell (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)/Original Character(s), Darrell (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)/Reader, Lord Boxman/Professor Venomous
Comments: 13
Kudos: 20





	1. Remembering

One last year...then you're off to college. This 'school' shit never seems to end, but hey, you're 17, a high school senior, and ready to spend the last year you have being an absolute party animal. A social butterfly. The popular girl.

At least, you would, if you didn't have enough social anxiety to force you on your knees every moment you had to talk to someone you didn't know.

You suppose you're going to have to spend the last year at Witch School stuck in your spell books and studying all alone. Again. Just like you're doing right now. Reciting the spell quietly to yourself as to not accidentally set anything off, you make sure your pronunciations are correct before you write them down and jot down the basics of its significance. By your side, you reach down and gently pet your familiar--a small griffin that you named Hunter--to try and calm your nerves.

There's a test in nearly 5 minutes, the teacher having granted the class 10 minutes before handing it out. You never studied at home; the moment you got home, school was the last thing on your mind. All of your work was always done last minute or in the middle of your lonely lunches. Because it was senior year and you needed less credits to graduate, you ended up taking some free periods off, doing work in that time as well. But for this test, you barely knew everything you needed to know, and if anything was on the test that could only be studied via the homework, then that would be surely wrong on your answer sheet. 

Without warning, what felt like 5 seconds concluded the last 5 minutes you had to finish studying. All familiars were taken out of the classroom in case there were familiars who could sneak answers. Some familiars could speak, but yours couldn't, only being able to mutter out a pathetic "I love you" that you managed to teach him in your free time. It was barely understandable, but you could understand it, and that's all that mattered. 

As the test was placed on your desk, you realized that you knew a lot less than you anticipated, and that the ten minutes of studying beforehand did little to nothing to help you. Most of this would either be guessing or muscle memory, which wouldn't really help you in the long run. So what? You knew the essential spells, and could perform more complicated spells if your book was in front of you. That's all that really mattered to you, and according to the requirements to attend Witch College, that's all that mattered to them as well. 

You could feel yourself pale a little bit as you left nearly the entire first page blank, assuming that you could return to it later. It always felt like the teacher was watching you, even when he was literally out of the classroom. You flipped through the pages, expertly answering the very few questions you were absolutely sure of while snatching some answers discreetly from others sitting beside you. It was one of the advantages to being the sweet, quiet kid: whenever you cheated, most people either mistook you for glancing nervously or simply didn't believe it when you were accused. You were far too innocent, after all. Not really, but if they were fooled, that was all you cared about.

You finished a lot earlier than everyone else, and felt shame wash over you as you handed in your only half completed test. You turned to try and walk away before the teacher spoke softly towards you with his eyes staring through his glasses and onto the paper below.

"(Y/N). You haven't finished this." He spoke to you, making your already pale face go a shade of white. After going white, it turned a dark red, you turning back to face the teacher. You hated confrontation, wanting to simply exchange the assignment and return to your desk so that you could draw. You began to stutter as you looked down towards his hands, being unable to look him in the eyes.

"I...d-don't remember...a lot of i-it...." You spoke sheepishly, hoping that he would catch the hint and leave you alone. Instead, he said something that made you even more anxious.

"So...you're telling me that you didn't study? You had no problem turning the in-class assignments in. I'm sure this may be due to your homework assignments being missing, don't you think?"

You didn't "think". You knew. You knew that you didn't pass because you didn't do the homework. Last-minute crams were usually your saving grace, and the homework barely counted for anything, but you simply didn't luck out this time.

"I'm s-sorry sir." You spoke quickly, wanting desperately for this to be over.

"Don't be sorry. Be more productive. You're a wonderful witch, and a pleasure to have in class. I don't like to see you falling behind like this. If you need help, I'm here after school every day until five. We can work on homework assignments together if understanding is the issue. I want to see you do better, (Y/N). I have high hopes for you." He smiled, hoping to raise your spirits a little even if it only made you feel even more shameful. You only nodded, heading back to your seat and summoning your familiar back to your side now that you had finished the test.

You pulled out a piece of paper and began to draw, sketching an oval-ish guideline to properly shape the head of your character. Well, "character" wasn't the right word. It was a boy you couldn't get your mind off of. You had first seen him in passing at the Lakewood Plaza Turbo, a place you visited very frequently to purchase energy drinks and chocolate covered pretzels. He was always making a mess of the place, sometimes besides other criminals, and he was always defeated by the heroes employed at the bodega. He was tall, cute, funny, and someone you desperately wanted to be with. You learned his name was Darrell, and he was some sort of cyclops robot, his red paint job a little bright to look at, but his personality making up for anything that may have struck you as odd in the looks department.

You were a witch, not a hero. You weren't a villain either, but it didn't much bother you that he was a villain. It did, however, bother your parents, both of whom were rather famous heroes. They weren't aware of your infatuation for quite some time, only having spotted you looking at the Boxmore website once or twice and reprimanding you each time beforehand. Your father even took away your computer when he found that you had grown a fascination with villains after first gazing upon the face of the red henchman. 

You had first seen him when you were 14, and according to the information, he was 14 as well. Hell, Boxmore had only been about 2 years old when you and him were born, the robot having been built only a few months before you came along. You had moved a bit closer to the bodega, since the witch high school was only about two miles or so away, and the closest housing situation was only one away from both the high school and the bodega, sitting comfortably in the middle. You never began to visit Lakewood Plaza until you first hit your freshman year, in which your parents finally allowed you to start walking as you pleased on the terms that you returned home at a certain curfew that seemed to change to whatever was most convenient to your parents when they grew angry at you. 

And there he was. Alongside another gold-ish robot, one that you soon learned was named Shannon, you watched them shoot out their lasers, missiles, and blades, only to be defeated by the Mr. Gar that ran the bodega. You almost felt your heart break a little when they were crushed and kicked back to Boxmore...but that changed when you saw just how large Boxmore was. A whole villain robot factory across the street of a heroic plaza...and no one ever bothered to even touch it? You supposed it was private property, and heroes breaking the law would be rather ironic, but you couldn't help but look up "Boxmore" on your phone as you ventured away from the plaza and back towards your home.

* * *

  
You never really grew infatuated with the robot until you turned 15, and was granted permission to a later curfew. You would stay out, bordering the last few minutes of your time allowed, sitting next to the dumpster and listening to the two robots chat alongside each other on the other side. They never really seemed to notice you, or if they did, they completely ignored you. Listening to him talk was almost therapeutic to you, the girl serving to have a bit more of an obnoxious voice box. You would sit and listen to him until you heard your phone begin to buzz, signaling that your parents were concerned. At that point, you would always go home with a big smile on your face, no matter how loud your parents scolded you. 

His personality was adorable, and never much failed to be adorable even as you kept up your habit through your year of being 16. Sure, stalking him like this was a little creepy, but what he didn't know couldn't much hurt him. After all, you were far too anxious to really approach him and ask for a conversation. That is...until you were forced to.

"Shut up. Shut up for a second." He snapped at the other robot, the air soon filling with silence as you struggled to end the spam call that made your phone buzz. Normally, the buzz wasn't something that alerted the robots, but you forgot to turn off the ringer, and therefore a cute Japanese song briefly played through the alley before you shut it off. However, this wasn't quick enough, and you held your breath as you heard robotic parts move closer and closer to you. 

You had shut your eyes closed as tightly as you could, almost believing that they couldn't see you if you couldn't see them. But when you peeped open an eye to see if they had forgotten about you, you were staring directly up into both of their faces. The gold one was alert, a buzz-saw having replaced her hand. The red one, on the other hand (no pun intended), was completely unimpressed, staring down at you with enough judgement in his eye to make you want to curl up into a shell and never again emerge. 

"Hahaha! Look at this! Did a poor hero come out for a late-night fight?" The golden bot spat at you, your body trembling in fear as the blade moved dangerously close to your neck. 

The red one seemed to play along with this, flashing a sharp grin down at you with that judgmental eye enjoying the sight of such a pitiful, pathetic little girl cowering at a mere threat. You wanted to speak up, to defend yourself, but you couldn't find the words, opting towards grabbing the wand you kept by your side at all times. You pointed it at the robots, making them both step back with alarm. You didn't cast a spell, and it wasn't glistening with magic as it usually did when it was ready to be used, but the robots didn't know that, and still opted towards being cautious.

"Hey, woah there. You don't...is that a stick? Did you seriously just threaten us with a stick!?" The male robot laughed, the female one soon following and even returning her hand back to normal. They obviously no longer saw you as a threat, but as a fragile, helpless citizen. A playtoy that they could bully and take advantage of. 

"L-Leave me alone...please...I don't want to fight...." You stuttered out, your anxiety getting the best of you as you trembled and shook under their evil stares. While the golden one moved in to intimidate you more...the red one dropped his grin, his eye now expressing boredom. He was quick to change his demeanor, holding a hand out in front of the other robot and pushing her back gently.

"Tch...THAT'S no fun. Don't bother, Shannon. If she's just gonna cower down and threaten us with sticks, then I'm not looking to piss dad off by explaining that we stayed past curfew simply fighting a wimp. It's probably best if we-"

"I'M NOT A WIMP!" You suddenly defended yourself, your mouth moving before you could even mentally register what you were saying. Cutting him off seemed to be a bad choice, the robots both completely freezing before the red robot's arm morphed into a cylinder-like shape. By the way he pointed it at you, you could assume that these were what he shot his lasers out of. That judgmental look on his face returned, now seasoned with a bit of anger. 

"...change of plans. Let's beat the shit out of her." He spoke darkly, the golden robot--apparently named Shannon--flashing a bright, evil grin as her buzz-saws returned on both of her hands this time. 

You knew you were fucked. There was no way to sugar coat it. They didn't teach a lot of offensive spells in school, and even at that, you were relatively new at magic. After all, in your junior year, you had only been practicing it for 3 years. Aside from testing your luck at actually fighting them, your only choice was to build a shield that may or may not sustain itself until the robots got bored. 

You opted for the first choice, reciting the first spell that came to mind. It was a spell that did little to nothing offensively, only managing to blind opponents that were hit by it. It was obvious that pain or fatigue wouldn't be an issue for robots, so perhaps confusion was your best bet. You shot it at the red one, seeing as the one eye was a bigger target and easier to aim for, never mind the fact that his laser was a bigger threat to you than her buzz-saws. Shannon grew confused as her colleague stumbled back, his vision briefly going white before he shook his head and stared at you with a face full of rage. You took his temporary moment of blindness as an opportunity to create some distance between you three. After all, even if his laser was a long-range weapon, it would be easier to dodge from a long range, and the buzz-saws were significantly less of a concern.

"Dammit, Darrell! You know we should have sliced her up the moment we had her cornered!" Shannon barked at her taller counterpart. Darrell, was it? You hadn't a clue yet how significant that name would become to you, but it was the first time you heard it, and it surely wouldn't be the last. 

"I know! Just shut up and get her!" He barked back, standing taller as both hands now turned into laser cannons.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"SHANNON!"

He scolded her, that seeming to be the end of their brief disagreement before he aimed again and shot out two green lasers. You almost forgot about the danger before you ducked, both lasers barely missing you. You didn't have much hand-to-hand combat experience aside from roller derby, but since you weren't on skates and didn't want to be THAT close to the robots, you assumed that it would only come as a last resort. 

You cast another spell in his direction, the same spell as before. This time, he dodged, and it hit Shannon, Darrell shooting once more and being sure to aim as accurately as he could. He would have burned a hole in your face if you didn't cast a shield spell as quickly as you did, the shield breaking on impact but saving you from intense damage.

"You're great at defending yourself, I'll give you that. But you're gonna have to give us a little more than THAT if you want to walk out of this alive." Darrell snarled. Something about the way he spoke to you made your blood run cold, and if you weren't intimidated before, you surely were now. The moment that he had finished talking, Shannon ran towards you as fast as she could, managing to slice a shallow cut across your shoulder that made you cry out in pain. 

You took this opportunity of closeness to throw your body against her the same way you would have in derby practice, and sure enough, this knocked her onto her back with a loud thud. Darrell seemed impressed for a short moment, but he quickly took your lack of attention on him into his advantage and shot once more at your head. You once again barely ducked and missed, Darrell's hands returning and grabbing your crouching body only to throw back onto the ground. Your wand slid across the concrete of the alleyway, leaving you completely without your magic as he aimed a fist at your face. When you moved your head, his fist made contact with the concrete, leaving cracks in the rock that made you go pale, knowing well that a punch that intense would have killed you.

You forced yourself to act, one hand grabbing his neck while the other aimed a fist at his face. Due to a lack of head mobility, his cheek took the brunt of the hit, leaving him temporarily dazed. You tried to kick his groin, but that did nothing but alarm him, another fist now swinging against the side of your face and landing a solid hit. While it didn't kill you, your vision went blurry as your blood splattered off to the side. You spit out more blood along with it, attempting to recollect yourself, but it was too late. Shannon came forward and stepped on your neck, Darrell grabbing both of your wrists and pinning them down on the ground. You couldn't see it through the golden bot's boot, but you could practically hear the evil grin on Darrell's face, talking in a tone dark enough to make you freeze.

"Slowly, Shannon. Crush her jugular...but do it slowly. I wanna hear her choked cries." He snarled, Shannon cackling evilly and beginning to slowly add pressure onto your neck. This was it. You were about to be killed at 16 by the very boy you loved. You tried to fight, but it got harder and harder to move your muscles, your body soon beginning to slip into unconsciousness. 

You could barely hear the small group of strangers call out for an answer, asking who was there. The bots immediately ran at the voices, assuming that you could wait until after they had demolished the random heroes. You never really got to see who came to your rescue, the suffocation quickly pulling you into unconsciousness.


	2. Attempting Amends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some...disagreements...you finally make contact with this robot once more. A little more reluctantly, but perhaps he has different plans for you this time.

You woke up with a painful thumping, your ears ringing and your head feeling like your heart replaced your brain. You laid in a hospital bed, two doctors in the room with you. One was examining your vitals, and the other was watching you, waiting for your eyes to open. 

"She's awake." She said moments after the light blinded your eyes, the noise of her voice making your head pound even harder. The other doctor gave you a quick glance before nodding and moving out of the room. It wasn't long before two familiar bodies came into view, and you nearly jolted out of bed. You sat up quickly, but immediately went to lay back down, your head hurting far too much for you to make such sudden movements.

"Calm down, love. It's just us. No one is here to hurt you." Your mother spoke in the softest tone she could manage, moving to your side and gently stroking your hair with a touch that you could nearly melt into. Your father stood as tall and firm as ever, more disappointment resting in his eyes while your mother comforted you.

It took you a moment, but your memories began flooding back to you: the confrontation, the fight, passing out...his face. You hated to think that it was Darrell who did this to you. After all, you loved him so much, and in your little fantasy land, he loved you too. He would never hospitalize you. 

Obviously, that was a wrong assumption to make.

"You want to tell me why you're in the hospital right now, (Y/N)? Can you explain to your mother and I why-"

"Hey. Leave the baby alone. She's far too injured to have you yelling at her right now." Your mother interrupted your father, something that usually would have made you smile if it wasn't for your current state. You loved both of your parents, and they both were your best friend in their own special way, but your father could be especially hard on you sometimes, making you go to school when you're very sick and scolding you for small failures. He had the best intentions, but he didn't understand how that impacted your mental illnesses, seeing as he didn't have them himself. Therefore, he continued as he always had.

Your mother seemed to be the only one who truly understood, seeing as she had depression as well. You always looked up to her because of that, coming to her for advice and reassurance. It helped, especially when you took yourself off of medication and worked towards bettering yourself without a lot of professional interference. You had surely improved, but you still had your moments, and you couldn't quite yet have those moments without them being unnecessarily terrible.

"She owes us an explanation. If she doesn't tell us, she's gonna have to end up spilling the beans to that 'Dynamite Watkins' gal when she gets here anyhow. After all, according to the heroes that saved her, she was attacked by Box bots. You realize how dangerous those bots are? To OUR little witch? She obviously couldn't defend herself out there. The news people are gonna BEG for a story, and I'd much rather relay it if I have to than put that burden on our already injured child." He spoke, your mother shaking her head with disappointment, but refusing to speak back. She agreed with him to a certain extent, but if it was up to her, she would have simply forced the news to turn away.

That's not what ended up happening, though. The moment you ate, drank, stood, and felt well enough to leave, you got bombarded by a crowd of news people hoping to find out what happened in that alleyway. The cameras, the lights, the people...it all scared you. Sure enough, Dynamite Watkins stood among them, narrating her purpose as she backed towards you. Just before she ran into you, she turned towards you, her eyes still locked on the camera.

"Here she is, folks! The little witch that got ATTACKED by Box Bots! Tell us, Miss, what exactly happened last night?" She pointed the microphone towards you, and as the camera was pushed into your face, you almost felt like you were going to cry. You backed away a little, Watkins considering using her superpower to get you to talk before she saw the fear in your eyes. She loved getting a story, but she wasn't about to forcefully interrogate a child in order to get it. She soon turned back to the camera, waving her hand in dismissal.

"We'll get right back to you, folks. Seems our guest here is a bit frightened at the moment. Just to be expected after such an EPIC BATTLE! Stay tuned!" She flashed a bright grin before the camera was lowered, Watkins bending down enough to look you in the eyes. 

"Hey there...I'm really interested in your story, young lady, but you know you don't HAVE to give it if you don't want to. The public doesn't HAVE to hear it from you. If you can just tell ME...I'd be more than happy to relay it to the public. Is that something you'd appreciate?" She asked, making you pout a little. You were a baby-faced child, yes, but you weren't as young and fragile as she was making you out to be. You knew she had the best intentions, however, and gave a small nod, beginning to speak for the first time in a few hours the moment she gave an understanding nod.

* * *

"And there you have it, folks! A young witch, when faced with TWO Box Bots, does NOT BACK DOWN! Whether she lost or not doesn't matter. She bravely faced the villains all on her own, and managed to come out alive! Which, in my book, is a victory!" Watkins spoke over the television, your cheeks burning as you were praised for your "heroic" deeds on the screen. Your parents turned off the TV after this; they had already heard the story from you after Watkins had finished privately talking to you, but they still watched it over the TV, hearing a rather over-glorified version of the story. That being said, your father was smiling with pride, your mother nearly in tears as she hugged you.

"My little baby! A hero at 16! Gosh, you were so brave to fight them all on your own!" She praised you, making you giggle as she pet your hair affectionately.

"Stupid is the word I'd use. I wouldn't praise her too much...but she surely can put up a good fight if she slipped out of a Box Bot battle without dying from the first blow. You...do know what this means, though, right (Y/N)?"

"We don't want you staying out so late anymore, ESPECIALLY not near Lakewood Plaza Turbo. Those bots don't JUST fight at night, you know. They attack during the day as well with just as much ruthlessness. We love and trust the heroes at the Plaza...but from now on, you're not allowed to go there without one of us, okay?" Your mother spoke before you even had a chance to answer your father, your reaction almost neutral. You still had a bit of a crush on the robot, sure...but after he beat you hard enough to hospitalize you and change your curfew, you weren't sure that he was someone you wanted to surround yourself with, especially if his friends seemed to be just as terrible.

"...yes, mom." You agreed. What were you supposed to do? You couldn't complain, not with this infatuation. Your compliance only brought more pride into your parents' hearts, both of them now hugging you affectionately.

"I'm not about to lose my baby to some Box Bots." Your mother spoke, kissing you on the temple with a sweet smile.

"Ditto," Your father responded, "It'll be a cold day in hell when this happens to you again. Not if I have anything to say about it. We love you so much, you know that?" He kissed your other temple, a smile continuing to spread across your face as your parents showed you the affection they felt you deserved.

* * *

Needless to say, you kept going back to the plaza. The moment you were well enough to return to school, you returned to the plaza, and bought yourself an energy drink to sip along with your chocolate-covered pretzels. You knew you weren't supposed to, and that you'd get in a lot of trouble if you were busted, but you also knew that your parents only ever went to the plaza if they desperately needed something and they just so happened to be close by. 

You were lazily greeted by the cashier, a girl you never really learned the name of, grabbing your two items and making your way back to be in and out as quick as you could. You greeted K.O. as you went to check out, considering that everyone knew K.O., including a visitor to the plaza such as yourself. His adorable face lit up as he saw you, and you put down your things to perform a small light show with your wand simply to see his smile grow brighter.

You smiled along as you did this, but your smile dropped as quickly as it came, a loud thud being heard outside that your recognized all too well. Box Bots. You went pale, K.O. running with the cashier and another coworker to attend to the issue. You, on the other hand, stayed inside, hoping that the robots would be defeated outside like normal and you wouldn't have another run-in with the very bot that hospitalized you. 

But of COURSE things couldn't be THAT easy.

You watched through the windows as the box opened, revealing Darrell and Shannon both ready to attack. The heroes prepared themselves as well, and you hid behind a shelf, watching the scene take place. You lost Darrell nearly as soon as the battle started, which made your blood run cold. He surely was up to something. Shannon fought the heroes, and while she wasn't exactly winning, she wasn't losing either. You were so focused on Shannon's battle that you barely reacted to the doors of the bodega opening, the red henchman marching through and scanning the area before your eyes locked in with his eye. You tried to shuffle up and scamper away, but the bot was far too quick, moving forward and grabbing the back of your shirt.

You felt like you could cry. You had made a promise to your parents, and now, you were about to have physical evidence that you broke it. Hell, he might not even let you escape with your life this time. You struggled and tried to escape, but he slammed you down onto the floor of the bodega, his face expressing a rather...calm demeanor. He wasn't angry, something that heavily surprised you. You almost sighed in relief before he flashed an evil grin down at you.

"Hey there, little witch. Convenient seeing you here again, isn't it?" He asked, grabbing the front of your shirt with his other hand morphed into a laser cannon. Now that you had fought him once, however, you felt a bit more courage pour into you than last time. You flashed a scowl, and even with your body trembling in fear, you still managed to speak rather clearly and firmly.

"I'm not looking for a fight. I wasn't ever looking to antagonize. Leave me be; I'm not a hero. I'm just some 16 year old trying to buy a snack." You explained, something that seemed to soften up the robot's expression. He still seemed cocky, but he no longer was threatening, his grin now expressing more smugness than maliciousness.

"Fun. I'm 16 too. But that's not the point. I gotta say...you were a fun fight. Sure, you didn't do too much, but when you lose so many battles, it's nice to win one, even if it's against a little wimp like you." He chuckled, but continued before you could retaliate. "I'm not here to fight you. I got in trouble with my dad for fighting you, and I'm gonna get in even MORE trouble if I fight you instead of attack the plaza like he ordered. Plus, if you're not a hero, then you're not a threat. See what I mean?"

"I don't get it, then. Why pick on me instead of following your 'dad's' orders?" You calmed a bit more now. You hadn't really been this close to him before, and since your current encounter was much more peaceful than the last...you almost enjoyed it. Almost.

"I already said. You're a fun fight. Not to mention, I saw your story on the news. Even if I got in trouble for it, Dad was really proud that me and Shannon at least took down ONE 'hero', even if you're not really a hero. I guess I kind of...owe you one. You know?"

Owe you one? What the hell did that mean? You weren't too sure, but you weren't left too much room to ask before his attention shifted up towards the fight outside.

"Gotta pick this up another time. But hey, if you like hanging around the dumpsters so much, then how about you come on down tonight? We can talk more then; right now, I'm kind of on a time crunch." He jumped off of you, heading towards the commotion outside and howling with pride when he caught one of the heroes off guard and punched them in the spine. 

You were nearly dazed...but at least you didn't get beaten to a pulp like last time. You took a moment to recollect yourself before returning to the items you planned to purchase, putting them away and grabbing new ones just because. You waited patiently for the bot you crushed on and his sister to be defeated and for the heroes to return, the cashier girl apologizing for the inconvenience and checking you out as soon as she could before wishing you a good day and sending you off with your two items. 

'How about you come on down tonight?' 

Yeah. You just might.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't caught on already, half of Chapter 1 and all of this chapter is gonna be your flashbacks. We're currently working up to the present moment, and after we return back to that classroom, we'll continue after that. Make sense? Cool. Hope you enjoyed this, cause I'm having a hell of a time making it. I'll be drawing some art of this potentially in the near future, but no promises, of course. I don't know how lazy I'm gonna be. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for Chapter 3!


	3. Making Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, you meet him out back again. This time, hopefully, without you getting beaten to a pulp. You already have it in your mind that, if you two are really meant to be, then it's going to take a lot more than some sweet words and some pretty looks to get you to be as in love as you were before. Even so, he might just surprise you. And hell...you might be a little more hopeless than you thought.

You told your mom you were going out for a sleepover with your best friend, a girl you nicknamed 'MiMi'. You had known her since middle school, but you both went to different schools when you separated for high school. Truth be told, you two were still amazingly close friends, and you wouldn't trade her for the world, but you did find yourself jealous of her sometimes. Her mom was a lot less strict than yours, she was extremely funny, and she went to a witch school that taught a lot more, a lot better, and a lot faster. You begged your parents at the end of your 8th grade year to let you attend her school, but they declined, feeling it would be easier to go to the witch school closer to Lakewood. 

She was a much better witch than you were, even if you were trying and studying your absolute hardest. She knew many more offensive spells, she had better intuition, and her familiar was a wonderfully beautiful black panther. You could swear the cat had another name, but MiMi always called her 'Half-Ass', considering that one of her back legs had been severed in some sort of accident. Or maybe the panther was born that way, you never bothered to ask. Either way, she was a very affectionate familiar, and much bigger than your familiar. 

Well, that wasn't entirely true. You could cast a spell that would grow your familiar into a full-sized griffin, but MiMi's familiar was always a large, full-sized panther, and your spell could only last for a certain amount of time. 

You had called MiMi the moment you got home and asked her to cover for you, her mother also agreeing to the ruse when you explained that it was for a boy. 

"Oooohhh!" You had heard MiMi and her mom over the phone as if they were scripted, immediately getting mischievous tones when they were told that you needed to see a boy that night.

"Shhh! It's nothing that big. He's...an interest, but he doesn't know it yet. We don't know each other well, but we're gonna meet up tonight and hopefully get to know each other better. You know...l-like a...." You tried to explain, your explanation not helping both of their curiosities. 

"Like a date?" MiMi questioned, "(Y/N), if he asked you to this, this is TOTALLY a date! Look, don't worry about it, okay? As far as your parents are concerned, you're gonna be here the whole night, as opposed to partially. Unless...you're planning on going home with him~?"

"N-NO!!!" You quickly retaliated, feeling yourself grow more and more flustered as you kept on the topic. Gosh, for someone you had crushed on for nearly 2 years, you surely didn't want to talk about him. Though, you couldn't get into too much detail without suspicions being raised. After all, confronting the person who hospitalized you with romantic intentions would be heavily looked down upon by anyone in their right mind, including yourself. But, luckily for you, you knew damn well that you were going to give him the scolding of a lifetime before you two would ever even consider a friendship, let alone anything more.

Who were you kidding? Assuming all would be forgiven, you'd be lucky to get a friendship out of this.

"I'll be over around...midnight or so. I'll text you when I leave. Then we can watch TV, draw, or whatever you wanna do for the rest of the night. I'll even bring some food, assuming that I can catch the Plaza open before I forget." You offered, smiling over the phone a little bit as you finally began to finalize plans. 

"If you can pick up some Charleston Chews, that'd be awesome. That, or some spicy fries. Both would be good. Thanks in advance. And, hey, I've got a bit of a surprise for you once you drop by. Only if you're interested, that is. No pressure or anything, I just know you've been wanting to get into this for a while, and ma recently let me get into it myself." She offered, making you immediately confused. There were a lot of things you wanted to get into, ergo, you couldn't imagine what she meant. You supposed, however, that you'd find out at some point. 

"Cool. See you later, MiMi. I'll let you know how it goes." 

"Love you, (Y/N)."

"Love you too."

* * *

You'd be lying if you said you weren't completely disappointed with yourself. Of COURSE your mom would drive you straight to MiMi's house, as opposed to simply letting you walk. That being said, you supposed it wasn't a terrible change of plans. If anything, it was perfect. You'd drop off your things, you'd chat with MiMi until you were sure your Mom was long gone, then you'd head over and meet up with Darrell.

After exchanging kisses and goodbyes with your mom, you walked up to the home, knocking on the door and waiting for MiMi to open it. She and you both greeted each other with excited screaming, screaming that you never did with anybody else. The moment you opened your mouth, though, you were hit with the overwhelming aroma of marijuana. You knew that MiMi's sister, Lily, smoked medicinal cannabis, so you simply assumed that she had smoked some just before you had came by. 

You set down your things, saying hello to MiMi's mom (whom you also called Ma), and went into the kitchen for something to snack on. What could you say? You loved to eat. MiMi's family wasn't completely dirt-poor, but they were surely tight on money, so there wasn't much to procure from the snack cupboards. You managed to snag a cinnamon roll, taking a bite out of it and sitting down at the dinner table.

You and MiMi caught up for nearly 30 minutes before you decided to say your goodbyes, knowing well that you were on a bit of a time crunch. You licked off your fingers and said goodbye to Ma, soon walking out of the room and making your way outside. You pulled up your phone's GPS and set it to Lakewood Plaza Turbo, but as you were about to close your phone, you noticed that it was nearly 9. 9 was your curfew, and you would normally sit and listen to Darrell for about an hour, which meant that Darrell had probably been waiting at LEAST 30 minutes for you. You went pale, keeping your phone open as you summoned your broom and flew as fast as you could towards the destination.

Whether it was fate simply wanting to watch you suffer or you being a complete and total dumbass, you still managed to pay more attention to your phone than your surroundings, finding yourself crashing into a pole when you were nearly there. You fell off of your broom and dropped your phone, and even though neither your phone nor your broom broke, you felt your spine crack as you hit the concrete. You weren't flying too high above the ground, but the speed made it seem like you jumped off of the building, pain blossoming from the spot in which you landed. You groaned and sat up, rubbing your back and trying to recollect yourself.

"Here, let me help you." A voice offered, a voice that made you go pale. Darrell. You shot your gaze up to the red henchman, his hand outstretched in an attempt to kindly offer his assistance. You hesitantly took his hand, and with surprising strength, he pulled you up back onto your feet. You looked up at him with your hand still gripping his, your other hand rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly.

"Oh, D-Darrell! I...I thought we were meeting by the dumpsters." You spoke quietly, Darrell giving a sheepish chuckle of his own in response.

"You're, like, 45 minutes late. I thought you bailed, so me and Shannon were heading home. We're breaking rules being out right now, so we weren't gonna take the risk if it was just gonna be for nothing." Oh, right. Shannon. You didn't notice Shannon until he mentioned her, the golden robot standing right beside him and staring at you judgmentally. 

"Y-Yeah. Sorry about that. I had to band together with another friend in order to have an excuse to be out tonight. My parents think I'm over at someone else's house right now, and I was...but before I knew it, I was cutting it really close."

"'Really close' is an understatement. A second later and you would have missed us, little witch." Shannon spoke up, her tone annoyed and frustrated with you. Obviously she wasn't happy about nearly being stood up, and to no one's surprise, Darrell didn't comment on her retaliation. After all, having known her longer, it was almost an obligation to side with her.

"I'm really sorry! T-To make up for it...I can buy you guys drinks if you'd like." By now, you had let go of Darrell's hand, now picking up your broom and your phone. You could summon, but you couldn't teleport, so you would have to carry your broom around with you until tomorrow.

"We can't drink." Shannon scowled, Darrell shrugging his shoulders.

"I mean...we CAN, but...we have a program installed that transports oil, nuts, and bolts where they need to go whenever we need them. If we're feeling stiff, drinking some oil helps, and if we lose a nut or a bolt, we eat some, and whatever isn't used in nuts and bolts is ground up and disposed of in about 30 minutes to an hour." He explained, and immediately, you felt yourself grow interested. It was the same feeling you felt whenever you heard him talk to Shannon, except this time, he was actually talking to you. It was a whole new sense of euphoria, and for a moment, you almost forgot how angry you were at the both of them.

"So...anything I feed you will just be disposed of in 30 to 60 minutes? If that's the case, then no harm, no foul. Right?" You asked for clarification, growing confused as you saw hesitation from Darrell.

"Weeeeelllll...Not exactly. Our mechanical bodies know to dispose of nuts, bolts, and oil when we don't need it because our sensors recognize it. But if our sensors don't recognize the substance, it just kind of...sits there in our consumption tanks, and we have to dispose of it manually. While, sure, that normally wouldn't be an issue--considering that we aren't strangers to eating and drinking human stuff simply for the pleasure of taste--if Dad has to rid of it, he's gonna know we were out, and then we're gonna get in a lot of trouble." 

"Oh...." You said, a bit of disappointment in your voice. Gosh, robots were complicated, but you supposed humans were complicated too. Hell, humans kind of worked the same, in a way, though nothing ever really just sat in your stomach for a while. Not that you knew of, at least. "So...no drinks?"

"Actually, you know, Darrell, if we take up her offer, we DO know how to dispose of the waste manually. We can't put the consumption tank back in, but we CAN take it out and dump it. We'll just tell Dad that we woke up with stomach aches and had to dispose of a faulty lump of mushed bolts when we woke up. He'll just reinstall the tanks, no problem." Shannon turned to Darrell as she spoke, Darrell giving a small, mischievous smile in return.

"...that could work. Okay, little witch, we'll take you up on that offer, considering that you were sooooo rude as to be so late." Darrell joked, giggling at his own joke. You could surely get used to that adorable giggle, your cheeks burning up the moment he was finished. You smiled, carrying the broom under your arm and stuffing the phone in your pocket.

"Cool! Let's go, then! We'll just step into the bodega real quick; I know you guys attack that place all the time, but I'm sure things'll be fine if we're docile for now!" You spoke with a little more enthusiasm than you normally had when talking to new people. It was a first for you to not be crumbling down with anxiety, but with the near to comical way the siblings spoke to each other and you, the interest you found when they talked about their build-up, and, especially, the way that Darrell was just as friendly and sweet as he was when he talked to Shannon across the dumpsters, you couldn't help but find a bit of comfort in their presence.

You'd get to the yelling and scolding bit later.

The robots were content with walking to the bodega, the three of you making your way to the doors. You checked the sign to make sure that they were still open before walking in and getting greeted by the indifferent cashier. However, she wasn't too indifferent when she recognized the two Box bots, the girl jumping up and moving in front of your little group with a threatening expression. 

"Darrell! Shannon! What are you doing here?!" She asked, the urgency in her voice making you freeze up.

"Duh. Buying drinks." Shannon spoke, sass dripping from every syllable she told.

"Yeah. It's not like we're formally banned from the Bodega. Little witch here is just treating us to something tasty tonight." Darrell pat your back encouragingly, forcing you to become animate once more. The cashier gave you a concerned look; she immediately recognized you as the witch who got attacked in the alley by Box Bots, and as far as she was concerned, Darrell and Shannon were threatening you into doing favors for them. You went red for a moment before waving your hands dismissively.

"Y-Yeah! Don't worry about it! I offered! Everything is fine. We don't want to attack anything, you know? We're just getting something to sip on while we hang out. It's not what it looks like, I swear." You tried to reassure the cashier, her face softening a little as she began to make her way back to her post.

"...call if you need help." She kept her eye on you and the bots even as she sat at the desk, dropping another weight down on your shoulders. You knew the bots would grow impatient soon, however, and so you began making your way back towards the energy drinks. You opened the door, immediately grabbing your favorite flavor and going to close it. Before you could, a golden hand grabbed the door and kept it open, looking across all of the drinks with awe.

"What are these?" She asked, turning her gaze to you for only a brief moment before looking across the selection again.

"They're energy drinks," You answered, trying to find the best way that you could translate this into 'robot' terms. "They're...I guess you could say they're like adding an extra battery to your systems. You can't have too many, or your systems will overload, but otherwise, having one sort of boosts your performance and energy. It's why they call them energy drinks." Your explanation seemed to be perfectly within their comprehension, both Darrell and Shannon growing smiles on their faces as they took in this information. "They come in different flavors, so pick which one you like the most."

"I'm gonna get blueberry!" Shannon exclaimed, grabbing a blueberry flavored drink and letting go of the door. However, you kept it open for Darrell, Darrell moving in and browsing the selection before grabbing a green apple flavored drink.

"I like this one. I don't usually have many sour things, but green apple tastes pretty good." He stood up tall and looked across the can to examine the design, a smile of your own growing on your face as you closed the door. You never learned much about Darrell from listening to his conversations with Shannon except that he loved his Dad a lot, he only had a Dad, his Dad had a robotic eye...Darrell only ever really talked about his Dad. So learning something more personal about Darrell, such as the flavors he liked, made you happy. Finally, you were getting somewhere. 

You three walked up to the counter, the cashier hesitantly scanning all of your items and accepting payment. By now, you were visibly happy and excited, something that threw the cashier off a bit. To her, you either were a villain like them, a hostage, or simply too sweet for your own good. All of those options didn't sit well with her, but she kept quiet, bagging your items and wishing you three a good night. You all cracked open your drinks on the walk home, nearly laughing as you heard the surprised "mmm!"s of the bots.

"This is so delicious!" Shannon exclaimed, taking another excited sip of the beverage with a bright smile.

"It's like a lightning soda!" Darrell added, "It tastes like liquid candy! We need to get these more often!" 

"Aren't they good?" You giggled out, tasting your own and smiling with delight. "They're my favorite drinks to get whenever I visit the bodega. Initially, I drank them because everybody else was drinking them, but then I fell in love with the tastes. Not to mention, I always need an extra battery; I'm always so tired." You didn't really ever tell anyone, but you kind of lived off of energy drinks; whether you got too much sleep, not enough, or just the right amount, you always woke up tired and in pain. Especially recently, with your injuries, energy drinks have been quite a life saver...even if you were pretty sure you were addicted to caffeine at this point.

The bots continued to converse about how delicious the drinks were as you made your way to the dumpsters, the bots leaning against the wall while you stood in front of them. You looked down at your can as you heard them speak excitedly, contemplating how you wanted to start this. Would you be angry? SHOULD you be angry? You put the drink down, clearing your throat to catch their attention. The moment you had it, you took a deep breath, mustering up every single bit of courage you possibly had.

"Can I...have a moment to be...completely honest with you two?" You asked, looking up and switching your gaze from side to side just to be sure that you could have equal time making eye contact with both of them. If robots could pale, they would have, the two growing very quiet for a few short seconds before Darrell broke the silence.

"I...suppose so. What's on your mind, little witch?" He asked, sipping from his drink again. You took a deep breath, balling your hands into fists to try and keep yourself from bursting out into yelling.

"I'm...very angry with you two. I get that we have somewhat of a truce going on now that I helped you make your dad proud or whatever, but...you two hurt me. Very badly. You put me in a hospital, worried both of my parents sick, made my cheek swell up bad enough to get some boys to start calling me 'pufferfish', and on top of all of that...it was completely without meaning. You beat me for the hell of it, and even taking into account that you're evil henchmen...I can't sit here and have a truce with you two unless we address this first. I can't continue to sit here and pretend like it didn't happen. You guys changed my life. I can't go to school without wearing makeup to cover the wounds, otherwise I get all self conscious. You know? Just...I'm angry, and it's bothering me that you two haven't even tried to revisit it." And there you went, oversharing again. It was hard to get comfortable around someone, but once you did, you had a tendency to overshare. 

The bots stayed silent the entire time, even ignoring their drinks in favor of giving you their undivided attention. Of course, since Darrell did the most damage, you expected him to speak up first. So much so, in fact, that you were primarily glaring at him. Shannon even turned her gaze to him, hoping for her older brother to take the lead. Feeling both pairs of eyes on him made him express visual discomfort, Darrell looking off for a moment before looking down at you once more.

"...what do you want to do about it? What can we say? 'Sorry'? We aren't exactly SAINTS, little witch. You may not be a hero, but we surely are villains. We're not very nice people when it comes to work, and hell, we can't tell the difference between a hero and a rando out here. In Lakewood...we just kind of assume everyone who we aren't sure are allied with us are heroes, and we aim to destroy. It's in our programming. Our code. It's what we were built for. We exist for the sole purpose of destroying heroes and the plaza. Everything else is simply an added pleasure or inconvenience. So what do you want from us? I almost hate to say it, little witch, but...you're the only one bothered by that fight. We won, so we feel good about it, and you aren't dead. Isn't that enough?" 

You should have expected something like this. You couldn't just get an apology from a villain simply doing his and her jobs. Shannon looked off to the side, having nothing else to add, and the silence was nearly deafening as it filled the air. You thought for a few short moments before looking off as well, being unable to look at Darrell in his face.

"...an apology would be a start. I guess I just want to be sure it won't happen again. That...you guys actually respect me, and don't just see me as some...'little witch'." You explained, finally mustering up the courage to look into Darrell's eye once more. When you did, you were surprised to see a sympathetic smile on his face, and by the looks of it, Shannon was surprised too.

"Is that it? Sure, then. I'm sorry, okay? But you're still gonna be 'little witch'. You're just gonna be...OUR little witch." He grinned sweetly, Shannon cracking a smile as well and giggling down at you. You hated that these bots were taller than you. Those three eyes looking down at you made you feel a lot smaller than you actually were. 

"I have a NAME, you know." You retaliated, but this time, you wore a bit of a smile as well, hoping to join in with the more light-spirited mood Darrell had set.

"Oh? And what is it?" He asked, taking another sip of his drink for the first time in what felt like a while.

"(Y/N). My name is (Y/N)." 

"...What do you think, Shannon?"

"I like 'little witch' better."

"Heh. Little witch it is, then." Darrel smirked, Shannon laughing along as your face went red. However, you could get used to being called 'little witch' anyways; it made you feel like a sidekick or a familiar. 

"Tch. If I knew I wasn't going to have choice in what I was called initially, I wouldn't have even bothered telling you my name." You crossed your arms and rolled your eyes, the bots laughing gleefully in response. 

Shannon sparked off another conversation after that, and before you knew it, the three of you were passing the night talking, walking, and sipping. Even if you all weren't doing anything too phenomenally eventful, Darrell's antics, Shannon's gossip, and your magic were enough to keep you all entertained for the few hours you had to spend with the bots. Of course, around midnight, you would be heading back to MiMi's house...but even as you walked alone, the happiness you felt couldn't stop dancing in your heart, those words Darrell spoke before you left replaying again and again in your head until you felt like you were going crazy. 

'So? Same time tomorrow?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I initially wanted to make this a Tuesday & Thursday thing, but I accidentally posted Chapter two prematurely, so...I guess this'll be bi-weekly? I don't know. Expect two posts a week, and more if I'm feeling generous. Sporadic posting, I suppose. I'll get new content out to you frequently, though, don't worry. I'll work as quick as I can without destroying my schedule.


	4. First Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you get home from seeing Darrell, your heart is doing flips, turns, and everything in-between. You can't think of anything or anyone else, Darrell occupying every single corner of your mind. He was even more amazing than you initially thought. However, when MiMi finally shows you the surprise that she had planned for you two...your mind goes to many other places as well. Let's just hope Mom and Dad don't find out.

"About time you got back." MiMi playfully scolded you, the big smile on your face unfaltering as you walked into the home. You were greeted by Half-Ass, petting the gorgeous cat for a few short moments before turning towards your witch friend once more.

"Sorry. I was out with him and his sister; I didn't exactly time myself. I figured when the clock read 12, I'd start heading back, but before I knew it, I remembered I had to head back to the bodega and grab your stuff." What you failed to mention was that you stole the items she asked for. The bodega had closed by the time you, Darrell, and Shannon had returned. The bright side to that, however, is that battle robots are surprisingly good at breaking into buildings, and therefore, Shannon grabbed your items before anyone suspected a thing. You handed the two items to MiMi, in which she gladly took them and opened one of the packages.

"Isn't the Bodega closed at 10?" She asked, in which you nodded.

"Yeah, but, I got them cutting it real close to closing time. The cashier was really annoyed, but we managed to get your stuff and head off." You opened another energy drink that Shannon had gotten for you. It was your least favorite flavor, but the gesture was so sweet that you felt the need to drink it. Perhaps it was simply because the robots had gifted it to you, but for some reason, the taste wasn't as bad as you remembered.

"Cool." She ate some of the snack, walking into her room. You promptly followed, that familiar smell of cannabis once again hitting you. As you got closer and closer to the room, the scent got stronger and stronger, until you finally saw two bongs on the mattress and a small case filled with marijuana. You had expected to see Lily inside, but she was nowhere to be found, MiMi sitting on the bed and taking one of the bongs to show off to you. 

"...what?" Was all you could muster out, MiMi giggling and handing it to you. You took it hesitantly, staring at it before giving her a look of confusion. 

"You said you wanted to give smoking a shot, right? Well, Ma let me start around 3 months ago, and I even have my big bong for this special occasion. Come on, (Y/N). Let's make this night a little better! That is...only if you want to. Like I said over the phone, if you really don't want to, there's absolutely no pressure. It's totally cool if you're not feeling it. But...it's here if you want it." She smiled, your gaze shifting to the aforementioned 'special bong'. It was nearly 3 feet tall, covered in special stickers. The bottom was rather dirty, but it wasn't too gross. The bong she had handed you was a small pink one, more suited to something you'd probably start out with.

"I...don't even know how to use a bong." You spoke, looking off to the side sheepishly. Honestly, you weren't opposed to trying it. It was a common theme among your age group to be into cannabis, and you'd be lying if you said you occasionally weren't curious. MiMi quickly showed you how to use it, and after studying her a few times, you finally mustered up the courage to give it a shot.

As you lit up the leaves, the flame ignited small embers into it, and while you accidentally burned yourself a bit, you soon noticed the white smoke beginning to come up into the tube as you sucked up. You took the small piece out from the bong after a second or two of the smoke building and breathed it in, blowing it out and quickly finding yourself in the middle of a coughing fit. MiMi generously handed you a bottle of water, in which you drank the very moment you felt like you weren't going to cough mid-sip. The water certainly helped, and when you had finished coughing, you reflected.

It wasn't that bad.

"Yeah, you'll definitely cough your first time. Probably a few times after that, but it gets better. You'll start feeling something soon, maybe after a few more hits." A few more hits? You weren't sure you were the biggest fan of coughing up a lung, but that deep desire to know what it's like to get high pushed you into brushing the small fear aside. You nodded and took the lighter after she had taken a hit out of the other bong, trying again in hopes of speeding up the process.

She hadn't purchased THC, so you wouldn't exactly experience the stereotypical type of high. However, the CBD was enough to make you feel like you were floating on a cloud, all of your muscles relaxing and a calm sense of euphoria washing over you. Just as MiMi has said, it got easier the more you smoked, and soon enough you found yourself simply too relaxed to smoke any more. This was everything you had hoped it would be, in all honesty. With all of the stress, tenseness, pain, everything...it was nice to just feel relaxed. You felt as if you had just walked out of a massage. 

Throughout the rest of the night, you and MiMi didn't get any sleep until nearly 4am. You talked, ate, and smoked when you felt your high begin to falter, but sleep soon pulled you in its soft, loving arms, and even MiMi couldn't disagree with you.

* * *

You woke up from your phone blaring at you somewhere near 10am. 6 hours of the best sleep you had ever had, interrupted from the 4th call your mother had sent you. You picked up the phone, your head still hazy from the night before.

"H-Hello....?"

"Why haven't you been answering me!?" Your mother shouted over the phone, sounding more worried than angry. You pulled the phone away from you out of reflex, but soon pulled it back, giving a soft sigh and laying your head back down on the mattress.

"I've been sleeping? Mom, you know MiMi usually sleeps in really late on weekends. I work the same, especially when I stay up really late. That's kind of what I do when I have sleepovers. Please don't yell over the phone." Your voice was slow and groggy, and despite the contrary being true, you sounded like you just woke up from the worst sleep ever.

"Oh...s-sorry, love. I suppose I'm just being paranoid; you know how I am. I hope you had fun last night. Do you want me to come pick you up right now?"

"No. I...actually, since it's okay with MiMi's Ma, can I stay the day here? Even another night? I didn't really change clothes last night, so I'll just wear my extra set." You offered, quickly remembering the offer Darrell had made you the night before. If you stayed another night, you could go see Darrell like you three planned, and experience that wonderful, romantic euphoria once more. Plus, you could smoke with MiMi again.

"I mean...are you sure it's okay with MiMi's mom? I guess if it's okay with her, you can. Just get her to text me that it's okay some time during the day, otherwise I'm coming to pick you up at 10 tonight." 

"Okay, mom. I love you."

"I love you too, darling."

* * *

The day wasn't too eventful. With MiMi, you two always had a bunch of fun together, but the fun was spent on simple things like drawing, watching Youtube videos, playing video games, and snacking together. The day of relaxing and hanging out almost made you reluctant to go out when it was around 8, but when MiMi teased you about your new "interest"--which wasn't all that new--you felt your heart skip a beat and your excitement to see him returned. 

You flew on your broom, but kept a moderate pace and paid attention to your surroundings, knowing well that you had a good chunk of time before you were expected. Hell, you almost were sure that you'd get there before Darrell. You had slipped your headphones in and put on a random Chillwave video, letting the music overwhelm your mind and take you to a calm, cool place that made you feel like you were much higher in the sky than you actually were.

By the time you arrived at the dumpsters, you weren't surprised to see that no one was there. You figured that you'd go and buy drinks again while you waited, leaving your broom up against the wall so that the robots knew you were coming back if they came before you. Blueberry, Green Apple, and whatever flavor you were in the mood for. 

You walked up to the bodega, walking in and giving a small wave to the cashier. However, instead of lazily welcoming you, she stood up and walked in front of you. As always, you hated confrontation, and anxiety immediately hit you as she stood in front of you.

"What's the deal?" She asked, raising an eyebrow down at you with skepticism radiating from her demeanor. "What's the deal with you and those Box Bots? Are they hurting you? You can tell me, you know; I'm a level 2 hero."

"W-What???" You asked with panic in your voice, before you suddenly remembered how it must have seemed to her the night before. You couldn't really blame her, either; anyone without context would surely assume that you had become a disposable pawn of Boxmore. 

"Dude, you came in and spent money on stuff they don't even need, they broke in last night and stole more stuff, and you're literally acting like a ball of anxiety right now. If you're being held hostage, we can save you. I'll get Mr. Gar immediately if something is wrong."

"I...n-no?? I'm not being held hostage! They...they're my...." Friends? Is that what you should say? Gosh, you'd like to say that, but you'd surely be in some hot water if you went from attack victim to friends in such a short amount of time. 

"...your what?"

"...my...friends. They're my friends." You stood a bit taller. If you were going to be so bold, you needed to sell it. The cashier raised her eyebrows a bit, soon starting to break out into laughter.

"Are...are you serious?? 'Friends' with Box Bots!? Look, look look look." She put a hand on your shoulder, making your face contort into an expression of confusion. "Their dad? Lord Boxman? He hates friendship, and you can probably bet that his children hate friendship too. If you're their 'friend'...they're probably using you. I hate to be the one to break the bad news, but there's no way they actually see you as an equal."

Maybe you were dumb as bricks, or your intuition was phenomenal. Either way, you frowned, gently taking her hand away and starting to walk around her.

"Maybe so, but I promised I'd meet up with them, and I want to buy them some gifts. I'm sorry if it's rude, but...I don't want to keep them waiting too long. I promise, I'm fine. Worst case scenario, if I'm being used...I'll figure out quick. I have standards, even if I am a 'ball of anxiety'." You retaliated, and while you didn't see the cashier's response, you surely didn't hear anything. She was probably just giving up on trying to get through to you, which you completely understood. You knew you were being stubborn, maybe even immature. You were young, but not dumb. You figured that if this went up in flames, it'd be your fault. 

You walked to the back and grabbed all of the drinks, checking out without a single word being exchanged between the two of you. You left the store feeling saddened, even a little shameful.

As always, that handsome, smiling, one-eyed face would change all of that.

When you rounded the corner, you saw Darrell messing with your broom. He wasn't riding it--magic worked in a way in which he physically couldn't unless you were riding with him--but he surely was inspecting it, moving it around and looking at all of the different carvings and markings you had put on it over the years.

"...h-hey!" You said sweetly, his pupil moving up to look at you before a bright smile followed.

"I'll be damned, little witch! Do witches actually ride brooms? Is this yours? Or did the janitor just leave something behind?" He giggled, handing the broom to you when you got close enough to accept it. As if in trade, you took out the green apple drink and handed it to Darrell, the bot licking his lips with an even bigger smile and quickly opening it to take a sip.

"Yeah! Witches do ride brooms. If our familiars have wings, we can ride them too. Mine does, but Hunter's at home, and he fights with my friend's familiar a lot, so we like to keep him home whenever I come over." You explained, pulling out the blueberry drink to hand to Shannon. However, Shannon wasn't with Darrell this time. While you quickly grew excited to have some alone time with Darrell, you also grew a little puzzled.

"You'll have to let me meet him sometime. I don't know if you know this, but I love animals."

"Hey...yeah, uh...where's Shannon?"

"Shannon?" He raised his eyebrow in thought, looking off to the side with that sweet smile still stuck to his face. "She stayed home. She said she had a great time last night, but wanted to stay home tonight with our new little brother. Raymond's his name, real show-off. But Dad said something about all of us having to get along at some point, so she and him are having a sleepover of sorts. She offered me to stay, too, but...ugh. I'm not a big fan of the little twerp. Plus, me and Shannon aren't on the best of terms right now."

"O-Oh! Yeah, Raymond! Didn't he take a part of the bodega sign?" You had seen the news with Ma that day. Some tall, green robot that looked as if Phineas and Ferb had made a love child was attacking the plaza today like a player in some sick, evil sport. What surprised you the most was the amount of success he had in the one task he completed...and the amount of wasted potential that stood as well. If he took one part of the sign, why didn't he take all of the sign? Or trash the place? 

"Yeah, he did. Big whoop. K.O. took it back, so it was pretty much for nothing. All we really did was waste energy. I mean, me and Shannon attacked the plaza today too, but it wasn't as big of a deal as Raymond's attack was. I don't know what was up with those heroes; they were really lacking when Raymond started to attack. Heh, maybe me and Shannon tired them out a bit and made it easier on Raymond. That's probably why he won." Darrell took another sip, looking off to the side with a look you recognized all too well. It was that same look of judgement and disgust he had given to you in the alleyway, only this time, he was flashing it towards Boxmore.

"Well...I mean, if you don't wanna talk about Raymond, let's chat around a bit." You offered, Darrell's judgmental stare softening as he stared back at you. Gosh, what an amazing feeling. Someone you loved, a cold-hearted villain, softened himself and warmed his heart when he looked back at you. You didn't know how special that made you or how important that was--he was a sweet guy, and probably did that for everyone he respected--but you still couldn't help the giddy butterflies taking off in your core.

"Yeah? About what? Is anything in particular on your mind, little witch?" He asked, leaning up against the wall with a cool grin on his face. He looked like the stereotypical "cool kid" at school, always leaning up against walls, having unnaturally perfect facial expressions all the time, that sort of thing. You could almost get used to it.

"Not really. I mean...what's it like? HE like, rather. Your dad?" You asked, figuring that he'd like to talk about his dad since he did that pretty much every time he was with Shannon.

"Dad? Dad's great! He's really smart, hence why I even exist. His name is Lord Boxman, but you probably already knew that. The 'Lord' isn't his actual name, but, you know...you get it. Anyways, he runs the whole Boxmore place over there. He made all of us, me and my siblings. We're a little family over there...well, not really 'little'. We've got...five of us now, counting myself but not counting Dad. Six in total. He's working on something else, though! He's already named her 'Mikayla'. Of course, she's also only built to attack the plaza...we all are. That's our sole purpose. He used to have Junk Fish that he sold, and that's how he started up his Boxmore business, but ever since the plaza was built, he's been obsessed with destroying it. Shame, really. He had a pretty good business running with the fish. Then his profits plummeted when his addiction began, and he hasn't really...gotten better since, or even taken action towards getting better. That's okay, though. It makes him happy to attack the plaza, so we just follow orders and make him happy. That's...all any of us want to do. We all just wanna make Dad happy." 

As Darrell spoke, he smiled, but a sad look rested in his eye. It was obvious that he loved his dad intensely, but felt bad for him at the same time. You couldn't much relate on the feeling bad part, but you knew what it was like to always want to make your parents proud. Though, you couldn't help but also feel bad for Darrell. His entire life, solely dedicated on an issue his father had? Wasn't that...a really miserable way to live?

"Damn. That's...wow. I never heard that side of the story." You smiled, not knowing what else to say. What could you say? The story was very sad, in its essence.

"Nobody has. No one but his Board of Investors, us robot siblings, and Mr. Logic here in the Plaza. Mr. Logic is a whole different story, though. He stopped making Junk Fish after me, Shannon, Jethro, and Ernesto were born, then he just focused on building a bunch of us. Gotta hand it to him, though: we're much more advanced than those Junk Fish, and we had better luck attacking the plaza than the fish ever did. So...perhaps it was for the best."

"Darrell...forgive me if this is insulting. I don't wanna hurt your feelings or anything, but...don't you ever...think about...anything else? Other than pleasing your dad and attacking the plaza?"

"Tch. You kidding? All the time. I abandoned my Dad's rules to come see you, didn't I?" He shook his head with a chuckle, looking back off towards Boxmore. "I know there's a lot more than attacking Plazas and making Dads proud, but...I don't know. I care a lot about my Dad. I want to see him happy...and frankly, I'm dedicated to doing whatever it takes to make him happy. It's not like I'm built to do anything else. Like I said last night: 'We exist for the sole purpose of destroying heroes and the plaza. Everything else is simply an added pleasure or inconvenience.' That applies here too. I mean, come on, when you think about it, I'm not much different than your phone. Your phone wants nothing more than to make you happy and abide by your demands."

You immediately frowned, "My phone isn't sentient. My phone doesn't have a soul. That's what your glorb is, essentially, right? A soul?" It was common knowledge that every robot had a glorb infused in them, but phones, tablets, and computers didn't exactly fall under the robot category, so they didn't possess glorbs; otherwise, glorbs would be insanely easy to get. "My phone doesn't 'want' anything, it just does as it's told and stays silent. It can't feel, or choose. But you can. And you do. I don't want to bash your dad or anything, by the way. I see you have unconditional love for your dad, and would do absolutely anything in the entire world for him. That being said...you have so much more value than you're giving yourself credit for. Than HE'S giving you credit for."

This seemed to hit close to home for him, his gaze locked on you and a look you couldn't quite describe on his face. He seemed sad, but hopeful. Was there a word for that? Bittersweet was the only thing that came to mind. You both fell silent, and you could literally hear the cogs in his head working to compute this. Soon enough, he gave a sympathetic smile, ruffling up your hair and sighing.

"You're sweet, little witch. Real sweet. I beat the shit out of you, I made you risk trouble with your parents to come out and see me, and I even trained your puppy brain to buy me a drink whenever we hang out. And yet...you still want the best for me. Damn, you make it real hard to be evil towards you, I'll tell you that. Only a monster could take advantage of someone so caring and understanding." He giggled happily, making your face heat up and your cheeks burn with passion. If you weren't sure you loved him before, you surely loved him now. You giggled along, not wanting the air to get stiff and tense as it had the last time you tried to bring up something serious.

"Th-Thanks...it's how I was raised, I suppose." You finished off your drink, stuffing the trash in with the bag that held Shannon's drink. 

"'How you were raised', huh? I've been talking about my dad a bunch. How are your parents? Or parent, whichever you have. What are they like?" As quickly as your face had turned red before, it paled now, your heart racing a bit. However, you assumed Darrell would appreciate the truth now rather than later, and you didn't much like having to keep up with lies. 

"...my parents? They're...they're both heroes. I-I'm not! I'm no hero, as I told you, but...they are. Big, famous ones, too. They work for P.O.I.N.T., and they want me to head off to P.O.I.N.T. Prep after high school. I...don't want to, but they're kinda strict with me. They have the best of intentions, but they're seriously overbearing, and they already have it in their minds that I'm some hero prodigy that's gonna take down big villains like Vormulax, Professor Venomous, and all that sorta stuff. But I'm gonna be honest, I kind of relate to your whole 'built to attack the plaza' thing. I feel like I'm built to become a hero, whether I like it or not, and though I really don't wanna do it and I want to make my own path, I'm so dedicated to making my parents proud that I'm already looking into signing up for it." You didn't know how he was looking at you, as you couldn't bear to meet his gaze, but you could feel that one eyeball staring at you as you spoke, and could only assume by his voice that the expression he wore was one of pity.

"That's...actually really similar to my situation. I suppose you understand a lot more than I initially gave you credit for, little witch. Glad I met you before you headed off, though; now, I have the chance to change your mind!" He laughed, making your gaze shoot up again. "I'm sure Dad would totally love a new villain in the mix! Who knows? Maybe you're a villain prodigy instead of a hero prodigy! Imagine your story: a witch, born between two P.O.I.N.T. heroes, becomes the world's BIGGEST VILLAIN!! Muahahahaha!!!" He gave you an excited look, your eyes nearly sparkling at his enthusiasm. Gosh, he could make torture sound fun if he talked about it like that. "Plus...if you really end up going down that path, maybe I CAN be more than just a plaza-attacking robot. Perhaps I could be your right hand minion, carrying out your evil deeds and hanging out with you in our free time. That's a 'maybe', though; I don't know you all too well just yet. I don't doubt you're a cool gal, but I want to know just HOW cool of a gal you are before we start making lifelong plans. You'll...keep it in mind, though...right?"

He held out his hand for you to shake it, and you looked down at it as if he had just gotten down on his knee and proposed. You couldn't believe this. Hell, such a promise made you want to run away that night and work towards villainy...but he was right. If this was something you were going to do, you needed to think on it first. You smiled, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. 

"Right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my McGosh, there's a lot more love on this fic than I though there would be ahhhhhh!!! I really appreciate all of the attention, you guys! I'll work my absolute hardest to deliver as much content as I possibly can! I have a lot of ideas for the future of this fic, and I can pretty much promise that this is gonna go on for quite some time. So, please, stay tuned! From gargantuan robots to beauty pageants, there's gonna be a lot in store!


	5. Returning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to your classroom, your flashback finally coming to a close. However, this is just the beginning to what you would soon learn to be the bumpiest ride of your lifetime. Let's hope you can hang on tight enough to stay on.

You looked up from your desk, having finally finished the doodle of Darrell on your paper. It had started out only as a headshot, but it had turned into a full-body soon enough, you knowing by heart where every little bolt, screw, and scratch were. After all, at this point, you had known him for nearly two years, even if Darrell had only known you for one. 

Your crush had never really gone away, you knew too well. You remembered someone saying 'if you have a crush for two months or more, then it's love'. Such a statement made you grow optimistic; whether it was true or not, being so infatuated with someone for so long felt nice, just as long as you didn't think about the fact that you two weren't together, and asking him out might break off any sort of friendship you two had before. 

Dammit, now you're thinking about it. But you brush it off, shaking your head and putting the drawing in your backpack along with your other things. Soon enough, the bell had rang, and another day had passed by without you much noticing. 

17\. It was passing by fast, only the nights being of significance to you. You were sure, as an adult, you were going to regret not going out to parties or having more fun with your senior year of high school, but you knew well that the time you did remember was so important to you that, at least for now, you wouldn't have it any other way.

Your parents had given you a lot more leniency since the fight in the alleyway, allowing you to stay out as long as you'd like since you're "basically an adult now". Of course, 'as long as you want' meant more like 'come home at some point in the night', and you still couldn't have sleepovers without telling your parents who and where first, but you could get away with it normally, seeing as your parents wouldn't bother to look for you just as long as you answered their texts.

That being said, you had gained plenty of time with Darrell, Shannon, and even Raymond. You knew all of their names by heart now, the only one in the family you had REALLY yet to meet being Lord Boxman himself. Well...that, and Professor Venomous.

You had been very surprised when you found out about Professor Venomous and Lord Boxman fusing businesses, let alone beginning to date. Darrell and his siblings seemed overjoyed at the new change...well, okay, maybe Darrell didn't. Darrell constantly complained about some "Fink" Professor Venomous had carried along, and while you always listened, it never made quite a lot of sense to you. She was...a child. Her behavior seemed about on par with a child's behavior. Why was he so infuriated about it? It's not like he didn't have the choice to simply leave her alone. You never told him that, though, fearing that it would only aggravate him. 

Tonight, you hoped to see him again. Same place, same time, same energy drinks. That being said, things had changed a lot. His proposal nearly a year back for you to become his evil boss had really hit you, and you had started to actually practice some illegal wrongdoings. You started stealing from the bodega, setting plants on fire with your magic, and even sending Hunter (your familiar griffin) to attack the plaza alongside the robots after casting him to full size. You had been skittish and anxious at first, but as time went on without you getting caught, and as Darrell constantly praised you for your improvements, your fears melted away, and you began to lie, beg, and steal like it was nothing. 

But of course, when Lord Boxman sent out his robotic children to attack the plaza, he surely noticed a griffin always conveniently showing up to help them.

Boxman would otherwise appreciate the help if it wasn't for the fact that he had absolutely no idea who the griffin was or who he belonged to. Even Professor Venomous had his suspicions on the matter, but of course, you were never aware of this. That is...until you met with Darrell that night, and he broke the news to you.

* * *

"Are you serious!?" You spat out your drink onto him in surprise and yelled, Darrell stepping back and looking down at the sticky beverage that now coated his robotic body. You went pale as you noticed what you had done, immediately removing your jacket to help clean him off. "S-Sorry! I just...."

"Pfft. Don't worry about it, little witch." Even after all of this time, he still called you 'little witch', and even after all of this time, you didn't mind it at all. "Dad's not mean! Well...MOST of the time! I'm sure it'll be quick and easy!"

"Darrell...I don't think you quite understand what you've DONE here! Look, you're awesome. I love hanging out with you. I know you have the best of intentions. But...I can't just MEET your DAD! Do you know what MY dad would do to me if he found out that I was indirectly helping Lord Boxman commit crimes?! I'd get kicked out of the house for SURE!"

"Yeah! And then you can come live with us!" He grinned happily, and even though you were frowning, the thought wasn't all that bad.

"I can't just...I mean, I can, but...you don't get it!" You retaliated, tying your jacket around your waist after you finished cleaning the mess off of him.

"Whether I get it or not, I already told him that I knew who you were. Shannon even backed me up. He wants to meet you. I mean, you've been HELPING him! I think you're seriously overreacting. He's not gonna hurt you or anything like that. It's not like he has a PROBLEM with you...or, at least, he shouldn't. Besides, you'll also get the chance to meet Professor Venomous, if he's in!"

You paled at the thought. In one night, and you could meet TWO super villains, BOTH of which your parents had faced in battle at least once before? You shook your head, turning your back on Darrell to think for a moment. He placed a hand on your shoulder, hoping to calm you down. However, you only got even more stressed, finding the touch to be a reminder of just what kind of situation you had gotten into.

Though, what were you expecting? If you were going to be as bold as attack the plaza with Darrell, you'd have to meet his dad at SOME point, even MORE so if you wanted ANY chance of being in a relationship with him. What if Boxman hated you? 

"Like...right now?" You asked after a few moments of silence, looking back to Darrell only to be greeted with a nervous smile.

"He's...not very patient. I told him I could get you in tonight anyways, too, so...yeah. I think tonight's the best night. You...didn't happen to bring Hunter, did you?" Darrell had met Hunter once or twice before you started sicking him on the plaza, in which Darrell then got many more opportunities to interact with him, even riding his back in the sky at one point. Shannon and Raymond much preferred Hunter when he was in his normal, tiny form, but they also appreciated the help when he was large. After all, with your help, more damage than ever had been done to the plaza, and the heroes aren't as hard on him because they can't bear to seriously hurt an innocent animal just following orders. 

You truthfully had brought Hunter, opening the bag you held at your side only for him to stick his adorable, feathered head out curiously in hopes of seeing what was going on. Darrell smiled, leaning over to pet his head, in which he happily put his front paws on the edge of the bag and leaned into the touch. Meanwhile, you huffed at the sight, finding quite a bit of joy in seeing your two favorite boys interacting so happily. You couldn't let Darrell see that, though. Not with what he had just done. 

"...Fine. Fine! I guess I don't have much of a choice...but I swear to Cob, you owe me BIG time for this! You're dragging me straight into the lair of a super villain! TWO super villains! I'd better get some food after this." You scolded Darrell, poking his chest as you did so. You didn't know whether you were more scared of the possibilities or angry that Darrell signed you up for this without your permission, but no matter the case, you weren't feeling too great.

"Alright, that's manageable. I'll ask stepdad for a couple technos or something. Just...smile, and be polite! Dad will warm up to you right away!" He put a hand on your back, gently pushing you away from the building's wall and towards the parking lot of Boxmore. You blushed a bit at the contact, but was in no way happy about any of this. Well...you supposed you COULD be happy about going over to Darrell's...house? You weren't quite sure what it was, but you were being led in, and you went pale at the thought that you may never leave this place once you stepped in.

As soon as the doors to Boxmore opened, you were the first to walk in, looking around with quite a bit of surprise. The outside...genuinely looked like a store. More like a Costco for robots, but still a store. You were quite surprised at how open and friendly it seemed initially, even if that open friendliness was very relative. You supposed it was better to think of it as Darrell's home than some evil villain lair. It made you feel a little more comfortable. Even more so when a familiar gasp was heard, alongside a strong pair of arms pulling you in excitedly.  
  
"(Y/N)!" Shannon exclaimed, pulling you close and knocking all of the wind out of you. You would have been really happy if it wasn't for the pain of the hug, and you found yourself gasping for air when she put you down. "Oh my Cob! It's so nice to...wait. What are you doing in here? This is a villain store. Didn't you say your parents were he-"  
  
Darrell quickly went over and covered her mouth, leaving the rest of Shannon's question muffled. "Shannon. We do not RELAY that information here. As far as DAD'S going to be concerned, her parents are...witches. Witches just like her." You never agreed to that, but since Darrell had come up with an idea before you, you didn't have much of an issue simply accepting it.

"Oh? Is that so? You know, Darrell, it's not exactly in your best interest for ANY of you to be lying to me." A familiar voice rang through, and as you looked past the bots, you saw...him. Lord Boxman. All color immediately left your skin, and you stood pale as a ghost. The robots would have gone pale too, if they could, looking back to see their father approaching him. Whether you were just short, or he was just a lot taller in person, he looked down at you menacingly, his body barely an inch away from yours when he pushed past his children to approach you. You couldn't say a word, absolute fear in your face, especially when you saw him flash you an evil grin. 

"Whaaaat~? Cat got your tongue, miss~?" He purred mischievously, finding quite a bit of amusement in your terror. Darrell desperately wanted to step in and help you, but he stayed put, knowing well that he didn't want to stand up against his father. "You haven't made quite a good first impression of yourself, you know. But that's fine, isn't it? We can start over. I'm sure this is all one big misunderstanding." He offered a hand out to you, being sure to have it be his taloned hand as to intimidate you with his sharp nails. It worked, and though you reached out to shake his hand, you started to tremble as you felt his claws clamp down against you. Every single one of his movements and words were completely purposeful, all of which were made in an attempt to scare you to within an inch of your very soul. 

"Dad...I think you're scaring her...." Shannon was the one to pipe up, in which immediately took the smirk straight off of his face. He scowled, glaring back at her.

"Mind your business, Shannon. You have no reason to be here. Darrell, on the other hand..." He turned his gaze towards his son, refusing to let go of your hand the entire time and making you quite uncomfortable. "Is this the young girl you spoke of? The one who owned the griffin?"

"Y-Yeah! That's her! She's super nice, there's no need to try and intimidate her." He spoke, putting a gentle hand on Boxman's shoulder in an attempt to try and save you from the horror that was facing Darrell's father. Despite Boxman being taller than you, his robots were both much taller than him, and in comparison, you felt like an elf among a family of giants. 

"What do you mean? I'm being completely normal. I simply have a naturally EVIL aura, I suppose. That proves intimidating to some...it seems...." He glared back down at you, finally letting go of your hand and folding both of his hands behind his back. "Which is strange, considering that you've had quite some courage recently as to meddle within my plaza-attacking affairs. You've been rather bold lately, fighting alongside my robots. Why aren't you as bold now? Is it perhaps due to that little lie you and your friends were planning on telling me? I wonder...what OTHER lies have you been planning to fool me with?" He snarled, Darrell trying to give you a sympathetic look in the background to prevent the inevitable. You still had social anxiety, but when faced with these hostile situations, you always either barked back or cried, and Darrell hoped desperately that it would be the latter if either happened. Not that he wanted you to cry, but he believed Boxman would destroy you if you tried talking back to him. 

And he was right. You only stood in silence for a few moments before you felt your bottom lip start to quiver. You wanted to stay strong. You wanted to stand up for yourself. But you cried. One tear, two, and soon, a sob. Boxman was heavily caught off guard by you suddenly beginning to cry, and even he started to wonder if he was maybe a little too hard on you. After all, with having children of his own, he had a bit of a soft spot for crying kids, his angry gaze softening as he looked to Darrell with confusion. Darrell was immediately by your side as you covered your face with your witch hat, your griffin wiggling out of the bag to try and comfort you as well. Boxman commented on the small animal, but you didn't hear any more than a few murmurs, Darrell's voice primarily taking up your attention.

"Hey! Hey, it's okay! It's okay! Don't cry! Dad's just teasing! Don't be scared! He's really not a mean guy!" He tried to reassure you, Boxman being rather lost in what he could or should say. Shannon scolded him a bit, putting her hands on her hips and glaring down at Boxman.

"Great going, Daddy! You made her cry! Cob, this is why we can't have friends!" She crossed her arms dramatically, shaking her head and looking off to the side as Boxman's face contorted into an expression of anger.

"'Friends'?! You can't have friends because I SAID SO! Friendship lowers my sales! Haven't I told you that before?! It's disgusting, and I'm willing to bet 200 technos that your FAILURES are due to you being DISTRACTED with this 'friendship' you've got going on! How long have you known her?! Why have you been hiding this from me!?" He got up in her face, completely unafraid of her, which almost baffled you. He was just like you: much shorter, and completely without any weaponry apart from maybe a few tricks here and there. His arms were rather big, so you supposed he might have muscle, but judging by his bulging stomach, you assumed most of it was probably fat. Though, some muscle from lifting and building robots all day wouldn't surprise you.

"Ugh! Why does it matter!? We've done more damage to the plaza than ever before because of her help!" She barked back, making Boxman's anger grow even more.

"DON'T YOU TALK BACK TO ME, YOUNG LADY!" He snarled, something that immediately made Shannon back down and softly apologize. Boxman's hands were balled into fists now, and you could nearly see steam bursting from whatever was in place of his ears. He opened his mouth to yell at her again before a dark, smooth voice interrupted him, one that you didn't quite recognize.

"Boxman, what's going on in here? Why is there so much yelling this late at night? I thought you told me it would be quick, and you'd come to bed soon." The masculine voice scolded, Boxman's face going from pure anger to red embarrassment in mere seconds. You had to look up from your hat to see just who could change his demeanor so fast, only to see a villain you had only witnessed on POW cards and in magazines: Professor Venomous. Just like Boxman, he looked a lot taller in person, but he was around the same height as the bots, being followed by a small, green rat that you remembered to be who Darrell had once described as Fink. Professor Venomous was also much prettier in person, the fact that he was only in white shorts and a black tank top not helping matters in the slightest. When the villain saw you, his purple face immediately went red, Venomous growing embarrassed that he was in such informal attire in front of a stranger. However, this quickly faded when he saw your red eyes and your wet cheeks, having assumed that you were crying. 

"P-Professor Venomous! I...w-well, you know, I was just-" Boxman tried to explain himself in a light, nervous tone, a voice you had never heard out of him before. Before he could finish, however, Venomous made his way over, Fink following on all fours as he stood beside Boxman and kept his gaze down at you.

"Who is this? Boxman, why is she crying?" He asked, bending down a little to look into your eyes. For someone so rich, powerful, and evil, looking into his soft, understanding, handsome face brought you a lot of comfort, and you even managed to stand up a little taller as you kept your gaze on him.

"She's...well, I...I'll explain later. H-How about you just head to bed, PV? I'll be there in a few moments!" Boxman once again tried to diffuse the concern, but it didn't work, Venomous moving a bit closer and staying bent down as to not appear intimidating to you. His rattlesnake tail swayed side-to-side behind him, and a spark of curiosity rested on his features. 

"What are you doing here? You're a bit too young to be purchasing battle robots, aren't you?" He joked, giving a small smile. You returned the smile almost instinctively, Darrell relieved that his efforts to calm you down at least worked enough until Venomous arrived. Darrell stood off to the side, allowing the super villains to handle this, seeing as he didn't have much luck on his own. Hunter had rested in your arms at this point, and was glaring at Venomous, afraid that he wanted to hurt you despite it being obvious that Venomous had no such intention of laying a hand on you. His demeanor was so inviting, in fact, that you gathered the courage to speak after wiping your tears away.

"I've...been helping...Lord Boxman, and the bots...attack the plaza. Hunter has, at least. He's my griffin. I do it because the bots are my friends, and...Hunter appreciates the exercise." You explained in a polite, shy tone. You always put that tone on when talking to strangers, primarily waiters and waitresses at restaurants. It was a bit more feminine and higher pitched than your actual tone, but it was sweet and nonthreatening, something that brightened Venomous' smile.

"Why, how thoughtful. I assume your little pet there is 'Hunter'? He's a cute one, isn't he? May I pet him?" He asked just as politely, Boxman far too embarrassed by being confronted to speak up. After all, his boyfriend was handling the situation far better than he had, and he didn't want to mess anything up now that Venomous was gaining the information Boxman planned to get initially. Venomous was the same as Boxman in the sense that he had a soft spot for children, and while heroic children were a bit of a different story, Venomous saw no reason in being intimidating or hostile to a child that was on the same side as himself. You nodded to his request, petting Hunter's head a little to ease his tension before gently outstretching him to Venomous. Hunter didn't much like the sight of a snake far bigger than him getting so close, but he assumed that if you trusted Venomous, then he could trust Venomous too. Venomous gently took Hunter from your light hold and coddled him like a baby, just as he had seen you do. He put a hand on Hunter's belly and gently rubbed it, Hunter looking up at his sweet gaze and giving off a small noise of appreciation. Venomous chuckled, moving his hand up to scratch his cheek gently. 

"Heh...uh...yeah...that's, um...that's our stepdad. Professor Venomous." Darrell finally butted in, putting a hand on your back with a smile, relieved that the situation was dying down. 

"I know who he is. He's an evil bio-engineer. Level -7 on his POW card. And...I hear has recently started a relationship with Lord Boxman. He owns his own company that sells a variety of serums and specially engineered weapons. They're not cheap, but they're high quality." You explained, not even realizing you were geeking out until you heard another chuckled from Venomous, this time directed at you. You had grown very fascinated with villains after the night that Darrell had proposed a long-term villain career with you nearly a year ago, and you had learned a lot about pretty much every single villain there was. At least, villains in your area, in which there were surprisingly a good deal of them. 

"Wow. Someone did her homework." Venomous spoke up with an amused tone, making your face go red. He stood up completely, still holding Hunter in his arms. "Please forgive me. If I knew there was going to be company, I would have dressed much more modestly. You wouldn't mind waiting a few moments while I get changed, would you? If Lord Boxman wants to have a conference with you, then I surely would like to attend. It makes me happy to see such a young mind already dedicated to villainy. In order to get ahead, I must say, it is very important to start early. You're on the right track." He reassured you, leaning down once more to put Hunter down before turning to Boxman. He kissed Boxman's cheek quickly and headed out towards the back of the room, heading out the way he came. The green rat followed along, having flashed you an angry glare before heading off. Boxman was at a complete loss for words, looking back towards Venomous before looking down at you again with a shocked expression. Shannon had a big, confident smile on her face, and Darrell also seemed rather pleased with the interaction, but your expression matched Boxman's more, Hunter jumping up and flapping his small wings until he rested himself on your shoulder. Boxman stood in silence for a few moments before he sighed, recollecting himself and looking down sternly at you.

"Fine. Just...Darrell, you're staying with us. Shannon, go back to bed and power off. This no longer concerns you." He spoke, Shannon whining a bit before obeying and walking off. Darrell nodded his compliance, beginning to walk after Boxman gave a short, frustrated 'follow me'. You followed Boxman through the store into a backroom full of conveyor belts, pulleys, and other machinery. This was where they made the robots, you assumed, and you had to admit that it was rather impressive how it all looked. No wonder the Boxbots were so complex and efficient. They all seemed to be made with rather advanced technology. You wondered just how much of this was solely Boxman's doing; you had heard that Boxman had built Boxmore from the ground up with no more help than a robot he had also made with his own two hands. Whether that was true or not...you'd have to ask at some point. Boxman led you back into a large conference room, and even though there would only be four of your attending, there were enough seats for nearly 20 people in the room. Boxman sat on one end, and you opted to sit on the other end, Darrell gently grabbing your arm and tugging playfully.

"Come on, don't be so distant! There seriously is nothing to be afraid of. Trust me: when Professor Venomous is in a good mood, we're all in a good mood. You had a wonderful first impression on him; I'm sure this is going to go swimmingly. Besides...dad kind of kisses his ass, so as long as Venomous is around, he's not going to be NEARLY as mean to you as he was when you first came in." He spoke the last sentence quietly enough so that you were the only one who could hear him, Boxman rolling his eyes at what portion he could hear and looking off to the side. Darrell convinced you to stand up and sit in the seat directly next to where Professor Venomous was predicted to sit, Darrell sitting across from you in a seat beside his father. Soon enough, Venomous had walked in again, wearing the exact attire you had always seen on his POW card. It was almost surreal to see him in person, your eyes sparkling as he sat down next to you with a smile. You had still had Hunter on your shoulder, but Hunter immediately jumped up to curl into his lap the moment the professor sat down, Venomous laughing sweetly at the sight and beginning to pet him as he spoke.

"You know...for a large, formidable griffin, like the one I've always seen attack the plaza...he's rather small. Judging by your hat, I'd assume you are a witch? Do you...cast him to be pocket sized, or something?" He asked, raising an eyebrow towards you. You were so comfortable in Venomous' presence already that you had no trouble speaking with him, completely ignoring the glare you were receiving from Lord Boxman. Venomous reminded you a lot of you own father: strong and confident, but sweet and understanding. Comforting, overall.

"Almost. It's actually kinda backwards. He's normally pocket sized like that. I have to cast him in order for him to grow to a larger size. It used to be a timed spell, but my magic has gotten stronger since I first started attacking the plaza, and now I can make him bigger for as long as I want. He's sort of my...offense. I'm not a fighter, myself, and my magical ability isn't very offensive either, so I usually have him attacking while I defend him from the sidelines. We work together, like a team! That's why he's my familiar. Familiars have an eternal bond, so...we witches like to make that bond as strong as we can. After all, I'm stuck with little Hunter forever, so I might as well make him family, right?" You explained, Venomous seeming amused with this answer. He continued to pet Hunter as he looked towards Boxman, giving Boxman a moment to speak. Boxman cleared his throat, flashing you a half-hearted smile.

"Uh...that's, um...cool! Uh...b-but that's not what I wanted to call you here for. I want to know...why. Why have you been doing this? It's not like I'm willing to give you compensation for any of it. You're attacking on your own prerogative, and frankly, you're not tied with Boxmore at all, aside from...knowing my kids. So why? What gives you the motivation?" Boxman asked, making you pale a little bit. Truthfully, it was because you were in love with Darrell, and wanted to try and not only help him, but impress him. After all, attacking the plaza the same way every single day must have been boring and mundane. You wished to add a bit more excitement to every attack. Besides, Hunter did a wonderful job at laying waste to portions of the building, and though he could only really scratch, bite, and fly, he had landed many a successful hit on the plaza and the heroes who inhabited it. But you couldn't say that. You were sure Boxman would get protective over Darrell immediately, not to mention that you didn't want Darrell to know just yet. 

"W-Well...I...I'm an...aspiring...villain....?" You explained, and while that wasn't entirely false, it was a rather bold statement to make, considering that you still weren't sure that you wanted to be a hero OR a villain yet. Boxman's eyebrows raised up in what you anticipated to be shock, but as you read his expression more, he seemed a bit more impressed than surprised. Venomous smiled at this, his eyes also brightening up with excitement. Darrell, however, wasn't quite feeling entirely positive about your sentence. Perhaps he knew how much of a 'maybe' your villainy path actually was, and he honestly couldn't tell whether you had lied to their faces or lied to his own, both of which he wasn't happy with in the slightest. 

"An aspiring villain? At your age? Just how old are you...oh, Cob, my deepest apologies. How rude of me! You knew my name perfectly, and I never bothered to ask for yours. My fault entirely. What IS your name?" Venomous asked, extending his hand out in case you wanted to shake it in greeting. You decided to do so, figuring that he was nice enough to earn your kindness in return.

"(Y/N). It's honestly an absolute pleasure to be meeting you in person, Professor Venomous. You as well, Lord Boxman." Boxman seemed to be much more accepting of your responses now with this new information, flashing you the nicest smile he had given you the entire time you were there. Venomous didn't shake your hand for nearly as long as Boxman had, soon interlocking his fingers together and setting his arms on the table.

"As an aspiring villain, I'm sure it IS quite an honor to be meeting a couple of pros, completely dedicated to the cause!" Boxman boasted, soon gently nudging Darrell's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me sooner that you had made friends with a young villain in the plaza?! I'm sure this could have happened MUCH sooner!" He laughed happily, but Darrell wasn't happy at all, only flashing him a quick smile before he frowned over at you. Darrell mouthed the words 'we need to talk later', doing so with exaggeration so that you knew exactly what he was trying to say. His eye glared seriously, and he obviously was rather angry with you

You paled at this, knowing well that the last thing you wanted was for Darrell to be angry with you. You anticipated that he was only going to yell at you, and there wouldn't be another alleyway incident, but you still didn't like to see that expression on his face. 

"W-Well! Um...it is! It's a wonderful honor. I...well, pertaining to that and attacking the plaza, since I knew the bots beforehand and knew what they did, I figured I might as well get some practice in and follow their lead! After all, if they're being sent by one--now TWO--super villains, then I figured it was something I could try to manage. Obviously I can't do it alone, but I hope I get to the point where I CAN do it by myself! Well...myself and Hunter, but he's like my evil little minion." You explained, trying to ignore Darrell's infuriated glare. The other villains weren't looking at him, so they obviously didn't notice, the only downside to this being that all eyes were on you, and your social anxiety didn't like that much.

"How about that, Boxy? You inspired someone!" Venomous turned to Boxman with a sweet smile, Boxman's smile only graduating into a bright, excited grin. He looked at Venomous for a few moments before looking back at you; his demeanor now and only ten minutes ago were like night and day, something that almost disturbed you.

"My own little fan! We never quite caught your age. How old are you? 14? 15?" He asked, you having to fight back the urge to frown. Almost an adult, and you were mistaken for a freshman.

"S-Seventeen, actually, Lord Boxman, sir. Darrell's only a few months older than me, for reference." You watched as Boxman's eyebrows rose in surprise, both of the villains certainly not expecting someone as baby-faced as you to be nearing on adulthood. However, that only left more room for opportunity, seeing as--in their eyes--in less than a year, you could legally move out and come intern for Boxmore if you really wanted. Though, both Boxman and Venomous assumed that you most likely would intern more for Venomous, seeing as learning from bioengineering would benefit more for magic, and Venomous' work could relate to potions as well. 

"Oh? Have you been looking into applying for any villainous colleges? I mean...what are you in now? Your second quarter? You should have already applied, shouldn't you have?" Venomous inquired, making you pale up a bit. There were VILLAINOUS colleges?! Those must be either very expensive or hard to find, seeing as those were never brought up as options to you when applying for colleges. Truthfully, P.O.I.N.T. Prep was the only college you had applied for, and due to your parents being P.O.I.N.T. heroes, you already received an acceptance letter back. Well...'acceptance' was general. They only sent back a letter letting you know that you were allowed to audition, seeing as your GPA was...good enough...and you had to be put on a list in order to audition. The letter only let you know that you were on the list, so you weren't exactly IN yet...but hell, if this continued, you weren't sure you would even show up to auditions.

"There...are villainous colleges?" You asked, Venomous and Boxman immediately lighting up. You figured you might as well be truthful, seeing as they seemed so eager to set you on the right path.

"There are! I studied at one! Oh, oh, oh! Just a moment! I'll get you a computer! We can look together! You don't have to make a choice NOW, but we can recommend good colleges for your skill level and attributes. I went to a TECH school, obviously, and you can too, but...if your GPA isn't great, you most likely won't get accepted. At least, not to the one I went to. I had to maintain a 4.0 GPA the entire way through high school to even land a shot, and their acceptance rates are SOOOO low. You're better off starting at community college...unless, you want to! No shame in aiming high, of course! But only if you think you can handle it!" Boxman preached as he stood to go find a computer, Venomous quietly offering to scoot over so that you could sit in between them. You accepted the offer, Boxman putting a computer in front of you and allowing you to log into your senior website so that you could look into colleges. Sure enough, whatever colleges they brought up, you were able to find them, and you added some that you were interested in onto your wishlist. You ended up almost having fun doing this, the two men so nice and excited for you that you could barely believe they were villains. Perhaps it was a community thing, but no matter the case, you complied and worked with them for hours before you realized the time.

* * *

Cob, you had stayed up with them until 1am looking into colleges, getting so lost in the opportunities that you didn't realize that perhaps you needed to get home at some point. While the men spoke to each other, you logged out of your account and gently closed the laptop, standing up and looking towards both of them.

"S-Sorry to cut it short! I don't have a curfew, but it is getting pretty late, and if I don't get home at some point, then my parents are gonna get really worried about me. I'm sure you understand." You apologized, Darrell getting up from his seat when you finally decided to cut off the conference. Venomous gave you a warm smile as Boxman beamed towards you, giving a small wave.

"Of course! You must be a busy little villain, after all! Feel free to come back anytime! You've ALWAYS got a spot at Boxmore!" He offered, making you smile. Gosh, in the matter of a few hours, Lord Boxman had went from being furious with you to loving you like one of his own children. Did you simply have that effect on people? Hopefully you did, seeing as it always benefited you more. 

"If you ever call the Boxmore line, too, feel free to request one of us. We'll let the Ernestos know who you are." Venomous added, in which you politely nodded and bowed.

Darrell began walking out, in which he expected you to follow. You said your last, quick goodbyes before you followed him out, beckoning Hunter to follow you. Hunter got up from Venomous' lap and flew back into your bag, feeling the same amount of stress and concern that you were feeling over what Darrell was mad at you for. Cob, you hoped you two could just agree over an energy drink and leave it at that. You hadn't ever made Darrell this upset with you before. He led you out of the Boxmore store, walking you back over to your meeting place and leaning against the wall. You did the same, opening you mouth to speak before he immediately cut you off.

"That's funny. I don't remember you telling ME that you were serious about becoming a villain." He scolded you, crossing his arms and frowning down at you. You suddenly felt significantly smaller than him, your eyes looking down at the ground until he snarled at you again. "I don't know why you're looking at the ground. It's not talking to you. What the hell was all of that!? Are you seriously going to admit to my dad that you're some aspiring villain, when all you've ever shown to me is that you're some thieving criminal?! There's a difference between a villain and a criminal, (Y/N)! Criminals can become heroes. Criminals can reform and be excused. Villainy is a lifetime gig! If you SERIOUSLY commit to villainy, there is NO going back! I know just as well as you do that you're indecisive about becoming a villain for THAT reason primarily! Of course, there are other factors, but (Y/N), you just MADE THAT COMMITMENT! Now two BIG villains are expecting another player in the ring soon enough, and they want to help you! That opens you up to a lot of enemies right out of the gates! I know you think my dad and my stepdad are cool, okay? I think they're the coolest people on earth! But a LOT OF PEOPLE don't like my dad! Pretty much EVERY OTHER VILLAIN aside from my stepdad HATES my dad! If you ally yourself with him, then you're immediately making enemies and competition the moment you step into the villain ring, and they aren't going to let you off easy! Cosma, Vormulax, Billiam Milliam, Big Bull Demon, they're all going to be your competition! Sure, you've got my dad and Professor Venomous on your side. That's pretty good. I can respect that. But you're OUTNUMBERED, little witch! You're telling villains that you plan to join them before you can even stand being YELLED AT WITHOUT BURSTING INTO TEARS!? ONE HELL OF A VILLAIN YOU'RE GONNA BE, HUH!?" Darrel barked at you angrily, yelling at you nearly the entire time. You had never seen him this angry at...well, anybody. And honestly? He was right. You weren't nearly as ready as you made yourself out to be, and while you knew his words came from a kind place, they hurt badly to hear. 

True to his word, you had started crying as he yelled at you, soon full-on sobbing by the time he was finished. You were absolutely ashamed of yourself, and you felt intimidated by Darrell being so angry with you. He wasn't even this angry when he beat you up in the alleyway. Or, at least, that was a different type of anger. Darrell softened up a little as he saw just how much fear was in your face, and even Hunter was whimpering in your bag. You took a step back, Darrell taking a step forward to make up for it.

"Little witch...look, I'm sorry, okay? Just...I don't want you to make a choice that you'll regret. This is going to change everything. It's already risky for you to be doing. If you become a villain, a SERIOUS villain...your parents will become your enemies, too. It's not just villains. The entire world of heroes will be out and ready to do anything to make sure that your reign of terror stops as soon as it starts. Lord Boxman and Professor Venomous are only going to coddle you for so long. At some point, they're going to expect you to make it on your own...and little witch, they might just become your enemies too. It's a dangerous world out there for a villain, and frankly...I don't want to see you go through that. Not unless you're absolutely ready for it. I'd rather you break ties with me and succeed as a hero then make me watch you fail as a villain. I want what's best for you, because you've always wanted what's best for me. I hope...I hope that makes sense." Darrell explained, and when he finished once more, your sobbing had stopped.

You loved him. Cob, you loved him so much. It made your heart dance in your chest when you heard just how much he cared about you. You could kiss him. You could kiss him right then and there. You took that step forward once more, leaving you two closer than before. You two were looking into each other's eyes. The moonlight was perfect. The air was cool, and he had never looked prettier in his entire life. You could kiss him. You wanted to kiss him.

And yet, you didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pHEW AND WE'RE BACK BABY-  
Thaaaaaat was a long one. It's kind of an apology for a lack of content, so I hope this shitload of content will suffice! I know a lot of ya'll were talking about how much you love my story, and I'm super flattered! As stated in my little update (I'm deleting it right after this is posted so I'm sorry if you didn't read it but essentially I dipped to Mexico for a week and did everything in my power to juggle my life that this just slipped into last priority) I've been busy, but I'm back on my grind now! Hopefully biweekly updates will commence again, but I like I said way back when, I'm pretty sporadic with my updating. I'll try not to go MIA again! Sorry!


	6. Can't Compete

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As much as it pains you, you have to take a break from obsessing over the robot in favor of paying a little more attention in school. After all, the mid-terms are coming up, and while you can last-minute cram for any other test, mid-terms are taken in the form of a tournament, and your grade depends on a bit more than just pen-and-paper. You need to prepare by any means necessary...but you were never quite expecting getting to prepare beside pro heroes.

"So? What studying plans do you have in place? You know both I and your father don't tolerate failures; as much as we support you trying your best, we know an A is your best, so don't give us anything less!" Your mother scolded you as she stood at your door. You were laying on your stomach, your arms folded under your chin as you sat and watched some random Youtuber. Usually, you had your set of Youtubers that you watched religiously, but you ran out of videos to watch and wasn't in the mood to rewatch anything. Therefore, you simply searched up something you were interested in and watched it up until your mother interrupted you.

Mid-terms were coming up, and while schools would usually hand students a text-book thick stack of papers that they called a 'test', witch school was a little different than that. Instead of standardized testing, everyone performed in a tournament, and while you didn't necessarily fail if you lost at some point in the tournament, an A was only earned if you made it into the top three. Other than that, they had the different segments, and you got whichever grade it was named after depending on which one you lost in. The F round, the D round, the C round, the B round, and the A finale. Your parents constantly begged for you to relive your freshman year, the only year where you won the tournament. Sophomore year, you lost in the B round, and in Junior year, you were so unprepared that you got your ass kicked in the F round. Needless to say, your parents were pressuring you to improve from that, but in your defense, you were too preoccupied with a gorgeous red robot to really focus on your studies.

Now really was no different. You were still in love with the same robot, you didn't improve your study habits at ALL since last year, and the only REAL difference was that you were thinking of becoming a villain rather than a hero.

"I'm doing my best, Mom, I just need some down-time right now. Do heroes not take down-time every now and again?" You asked, making your mother roll her eyes and put a hand on her hip.

"Of course! But not as much as YOU take! Heroes are ALWAYS on the clock; villains don't wait for heroes to get ready! We have to ALWAYS be ready!" Well, THAT didn't help you want to be a hero any more than before. In fact, that was further incentive to be evil; you made your own schedules as you pleased, and you were almost always the one to attack first. That sounded wonderful.

"Alright, alright mom. Just...there's so much I need to review! Besides, where will I even review?" You asked, though now, you almost wish you wouldn't have asked. You mom's face lit up, and she grabbed the door handle, preparing to close it.

"Just a moment! I think I can help with that. Let me go ask your father!" She spoke excitedly, making you roll your eyes when she closed the door. You then got on your phone, only for you to light up the same way your mom did. Darrell had texted you! You had gotten his number a while back, but he was always so busy spending time with family or working for his dad that he normally didn't have any time to text.

_ "Hey lil witch :) u busy 2nite? we can go grab some food. Shannon said she wants to go too" _

Oh gosh. Of all nights, why tonight?! It had been a week since you talked with Professor Venomous and Lord Boxman. A week since you've been anywhere besides school and home. A week since you last saw Darrell. Darrell had been texting you about every other day to see if you wanted to go out, and you ghosted him the first few times before explaining your mid-term struggle to him. He asked to at least call just last night...and you couldn't say no to that. You two fell asleep on the phone together. Or, at least, YOU did. It was magical, even if you two only really talked about nonsense until you passed out.

_"Sorry, dude, got more mid-terms to study for. Mom's REALLY getting on my case about it >~< I don't want to but it'll be over soon. I'll try and make up for it next time I see you!"_

_"Oh...well, wanna call 4 now?"_

You almost said yes before your mom came back in, throwing your jacket towards you with the biggest smile you had ever seen on her face. You looked up from your phone, confused, as she and your dad stood in your doorway.

"Throw on your jacket and get your wand! We're gonna grab some ice cream, and see if Foxtail will let you use the P.O.I.N.T. training facility! It'll be the PERFECT way for you to study for your midterms! You can even bring Hunter, I'm sure!" She informed you, closing your door before you had the opportunity to combat her on it. Oh, perfect. P.O.I.N.T. headquarters. At least you could take some interesting pictures to show Darrell. He'd probably get a kick out of seeing you inside P.O.I.N.T. after promising to his Dad and Professor Venomous that you wanted to be a villain.

You did as you were told and put on your jacket, grabbing your wand and gently shaking Hunter to try and wake him up. He slept on top of your TV, somehow having perfect balance against the flatscreen as he slept. He had only fallen off twice in the years that you have had him, so you stopped being scared that he'd fall off after a while. He gave you an annoyed coo, but you continued to try and wake him up, Hunter soon stretching and flapping his wings so that he could fly over to you and rest himself on your shoulder. You contemplated grabbing your witch hat, but felt that it was far too cheesy, simply grabbing a wand, a spellbook, your broom, your headphones, and your phone. You met your parents downstairs, where they were dressed in full hero attire, making you feel rather out of place. 

If only they knew how TRULY out of place you were.

* * *

Your mother continued to rave about how much fun you were going to have, and how much of an honor it would be to fight in P.O.I.N.T. headquarters at such a young age even as you sat in the backseat of the car, your father driving out onto the road in the direction of P.O.I.N.T. headquarters. True to their word, they did stop at an ice cream place, but you opted to order a blended drink; still ice cream, but more like a shake than ice cream. You drank it happily, and even took the top off to share with Hunter at times. Your mother hated when you did this, complaining about the germs and whatever, but it never stopped you. After all, Hunter was your baby, and you didn't mind sharing anything with him. 

You took a selfie of yourself with Hunter and the shake to send to Darrell, along with a text message to go along with it.

_"Mom and Dad are taking me and Hunter to P.O.I.N.T. headquarters. I'll take pics ;)"_

It wasn't long before you got a text back, making you smile as you paused your music to concentrate on it. He had sent a picture of himself and all of his siblings in what they called the 'playroom', all of them looking happy in the picture as they waved to you.

_"DAMN! arent u fancy lol yeah totally take pics ill show them to dad"_

At some point during the week, you found out that Darrell had spilled the beans about your parents to his parents, in which both Professor Venomous and Lord Boxman were heavily amused with. An aspiring villain being raised by two super heroes? How fun! They only wanted to take you under their wing more after finding that out, Darrell forwarding the message to you that Lord Boxman wanted you to come back to Boxmore as soon as you had the time. It felt nice to have some adults on your side, knowing well that you'd lose the support and affections of your parents if they ever found out what you were planning. 

Soon enough, the large building could be seen outside of your window, and while you would have to end up taking a ferry in order to get there, you figured you could also take your broom across and meet your parents on the other side. Truthfully, you hadn't been to P.O.I.N.T. since you were a baby and had to be babysat by whatever hero had the time. You were told that LaserBlast was one of the first heroes to hold you as a baby, and he was always the first to volunteer babysitting you when he could. You were 6-11 when he died, and while you remembered his death, you didn't mourn it too much, your little kid brain not too concerned with the death of someone who wasn't family. It just was...awkward for a while when Greyman had to end up taking care of you instead of LaserBlast, not to mention that nobody told you LaserBlast had DIED until you were around 12. Up until then, your parents and everyone else simply told you that LaserBlast "had to go be a hero somewhere else", which you totally understood, and you accepted "I don't know" as a suitable answer whenever you asked when he would be back. You just...waited. Until you were 12. But by the time you were 12, you were pretty much over it, more hurt over the fact that you were lied to as opposed to the fact that your babysitter LaserBlast had died. 

As planned, you ended up talking to your parents and the ferryman, grabbing your broom and letting Hunter fly beside you as you flew yourself over the water towards P.O.I.N.T. headquarters. Damn, it had seriously been so long. How much had everyone changed since? It had been only 5-6 years, but it felt like ages, especially considering that you no longer wanted to become the unicorn laser hero, and now wanted to become a dark mage. Or witch. Either worked. It was all interchangeable in your eyes. You waited patiently for your parents to arrive via the ferry before standing at the opening to P.O.I.N.T. headquarters, your parents allowing you inside. Not before you took a selfie of yourself outside of the building, however, and you were already a good bit inside before you got a text back.

_"dads so stoked lmao he told stepdad about it stepdads kinda weird about it but its ok"_

You couldn't imagine why Professor Venomous would be uneasy about it. He knew who your parents were, and knew they worked for P.O.I.N.T. as heroes. It wasn't like he had ever met them aside from fighting them, and he SURELY didn't just realize that he babysat you 6-11 years ago. But you decided to shrug it off, figuring that Professor Venomous would probably just get over it at some point. At least Lord Boxman was really happy about it. It must be a real victory to have a villain inside of P.O.I.N.T. headquarters, even if you didn't really plan on sabotaging anything yet.

Soon enough, you heard a gasp, being too distracted in your phone to realize who's voice it was until a pair of insanely strong, muscular arms lifted you off of the ground in a bright hug. Her tail was wagging happily and a big grin was on her face, you immediately recognizing the random presence as Foxtail. She...hadn't changed a bit. She was always so sweet and happy with you around, though you probably figured that was because you were a literal child, still in elementary school. Now that you were about to graduate from high school, it was almost insulting to see her act the exact same. But who knows? Maybe she really would treat you differently.

"(Y/N)! Is that really you!? Dear sweet Cob, you look so different! It feels like forever! You wouldn't BELIEVE how excited I was when I found out that your parents were bringing you over here! How've you been?? How's our favorite little hero-in-training?" Foxtail asked excitedly, putting you down to give you a chance to speak. You gasped for air and stumbled on your feet when you were finally let down, quickly turning your phone off so that she wouldn't see the small bit of Darrell's selfie that still showed on the top of your phone. You tried to give a smile; no matter what secrets you were hiding Foxtail was always kind with you, and you had no issue with her. Hell...that would be the hardest part of becoming a villain: turning back on everyone that ever loved and supported you. Some would stick around, sure, but not these ones. You had to enjoy their company while you could.

"I-I've...been doing alright! I'm a witch now, i-if you couldn't tell. Um...I'm currently studying for my mid-terms, which is kinda stressful." You explained, trying to speak to Foxtail like you had never stopped seeing her. Your social anxiety creeped up, even if you knew well that it shouldn't be. Your mother piped in, much to your gratitude.

"Which is why we're here! She's been learning so much, and last year, she failed her mid-terms, so this year, we're working as hard as we can to make up for that! She won for her first year, so we want to help her win this year, to finish off her high school career strong! After all, our little baby has already signed up for P.O.I.N.T. Prep, and has gotten a confirmation letter awaiting her audition!" Your mom bragged about you, making you want to hide yourself in your jacket. Even Hunter was embarrassed for you, especially with the added knowledge of your planned villainy. 

"Oh? Well damn, I KNEW you'd end up shooting high! You have so much potential, you know! And you KNOW I know, because I've known you since you were a kid! Ha! You really HAVE gotten bigger, though. Stronger, too, it seems! Keep up the improving, (Y/N)! You've got plenty of time to grow and thrive, but make every second count as if it was your last!" Big Auntie Foxtail, always giving you the life advice that you almost never applied unless you were already applying it. Her heart was in the right place, though, and for that, you commended her.

"Well, speaking of growing and thriving, (Y/N)'s mid-term is a tournament. It's very physically involved, and while physical strength isn't required, she surely needs practice regarding casting spells, commanding her griffin, and maneuvering around obstacles efficiently. Basic P.O.I.N.T. level training stuff. We were wondering if there was a spot in the training facility that we could use to potentially help her study? We don't know much about what she needs to study on, so we're just here to watch, but she needs obstacles to attack and space to move around." Your father explained, Foxtail giving him every ounce of her attention. She nodded along, and soon, gave a big smile.

"I'm sure we can find SOME portion of the area she can use! You caught us at a bit of a bad time, seeing as we've got a lot of heroes training in there right now, but it'll be a short wait for a spot if we can't find anything." She explained, beginning to walk in a direction that your parents followed. You supposed you had to follow too, so like a little duckling, you followed behind your mother even further into the building. You wondered where everyone else was. El-bow, SilverSpark, Greyman, and many other heroes you met when you were younger. Were they training? Well...actually, you knew where SilverSpark went. She was back at Lakewood Plaza Turbo, caring for K.O., but besides that, you couldn't even begin to speculate. You knew there was some controversy regarding El-Bow, but you never quite knew what happened to him, as you stopped listening about one quarter of the way into your mom's sob-story in favor of beating the boss level you'd been working on for hours at the time. 

You kept texting back and forth with Darrell, explaining to him what was happening. He was stunned that you and Foxtail had actually exchanged words, but his immediate after-thought was how you could stab her in the back. You rolled your eyes at that; sometimes Darrell was obnoxiously evil. That being said, you liked it in a way, not really entertaining the idea, but not shooting it down either. You simply changed the subject, talking to him about food. You offered at some point in the walk to go to a restaurant or something, in which Darrell teased you about asking him on a date. You went red in the face, about to text back before your mother spoke up to you, stopping in her tracks as did everyone else.

"Who're you texting, (Y/N)? Is it a boooooyyy~?" Your mom teased you, adding even more to your red face. You put your phone away and looked off to the side, pouting and staring angrily down at the ground.

"N-No. Don't worry about it, it was just a friend." You tried to explain, but she saw right through you, only rolling her eyes playfully and turning to Foxtail, who was also looking at you. 

"You know, as much as P.O.I.N.T. is something you're going to have to put a LOT of time and effort into in the future...now's the best time to mingle around and test the waters, romantically-speaking. It's nothing to be ashamed of if you're texting your crush." Foxtail piped in, and you almost felt like you could burst out yelling with how embarrassed they were making you. Your dad simply stayed silent; he was the only one who had any issue with you dating around, but he kept it to himself, knowing that you were stubborn enough to do it even if he said 'no'. 

"Y-Yeah, yeah, I get it, alright? That's not important. Why'd we stop? Are we here?" You asked, desperately trying to change the subject. You could practically read the words 'typical teenager' on Foxtail's expression as she looked off with a smile, deciding to entertain your subject change.

"We're here, yep. It's a bit emptier than I initially thought it would be. Guess there must be a villain attack or something...or lunch. Either will do it. Keep following; I see a space over there. They're not plush training dummies, but if you're just looking for some target practice, then this'll be perfect." Foxtail explained, continuing to walk with you following in the back. Hunter began to get a little worried, having never been inside of P.O.I.N.T. before. He didn't recognize any of his surroundings, and you didn't seem to be giving off positive energies either, making him rather uneasy. He started to whine and panic, your hands immediately moving to cradle him in your arms and coddle him in hopes that he would stop crying and feel a little safer. It wasn't like he had anything to worry about. Yet.

The adults led you to a portion of the training area that seemed like something they would throw a beginner hero into. As you looked around the area, you recognized some portions of them, albeit barely. You had thought about El-Bow before, thinking of him again as you saw a portion that you had seen him in at one point. You were real young, but somehow you remember this.

* * *

El-Bow had been minding his own business before you stumbled along, having been looking for LaserBlast so that you could play a game with him or perhaps practice your reading. You walked in with a child's book in your hand, soon noticing him training and sweating. You sat down, watching him like the amazed child you were, and it took a few moments before he looked over at you, yelping with surprise and making you jump too. His surprise towards you had made you grow scared very quickly, and you began to cry, his face going from shock to remorse in mere seconds. 

"Oh! N-No, d-don't worry! Don't cry! It's okay!" He tried to console you, slowly moving towards you and bending down so that he would seem as small as he could. His attempt to look small didn't much work, but it helped, and you didn't try to move away as he got closer to you. You must have been rather young, because he picked you up, holding you like any adult would hold a small child. Your bottom lip quivered and tears poured from your eyes, but you were no longer screaming and sobbing, which El-Bow was very grateful for. You could speak surprisingly well at the time, but you weren't perfect just yet, grammar and diction still being something you were getting used to.

"I...I sorry....." You mumbled out pathetically, in which he gave a big, sweet smile, shaking his head dismissively as he held you a bit closer.

"That's okay! You didn't startle me too bad! U-Um...w-where are your parents? Are you lost, little girl?" He asked worriedly, hoping that he didn't run into a stray child that had somehow stumbled into P.O.I.N.T.

"Not lost. Mommy and Daddy are working. I looking for Laser." You explained, holding up the book to convey that you wanted to have LaserBlast help you read it. He nodded his understanding, soon sitting down. He didn't know where LaserBlast was at the time, and didn't much want to lose this spot as he wanted to get back to training at some point, so he sat down with you in his lap, still holding a smile.

"I'm not sure where he is right now. But until we can find him, would you like ME to read to you?" He asked, and while you normally didn't trust strangers, you were told that 'everyone at P.O.I.N.T. was nice' by your mom, so you silently handed the book to him, El-Bow taking it gently from you and opening to the first page. You two were nearly to the end of the book before LaserBlast began calling your name, looking for you and slightly panicking that he may have lost you. You jumped off of El-Bow's lap and ran towards the doorway when you saw LaserBlast take his first step in, your short arms wrapping around his pelvis to hug him happily.

"O-Oh! (Y/N)! You're in here! Gosh, how'd you get all the way out here, little lady? You didn't have an adult with you, did you?" LaserBlast scolded, but he wasn't angry at all, picking you up and holding you close to himself. El-Bow stood up with your book in hand, gently handing it to you. LaserBlast took it before you could, however, El-Bow starting to stutter a little.

"S-Sorry, LaserBlast! I, u-uh, s-saw her over here, a-and she s-said I could read her book with her!" He tried to explain, LaserBlast smiling at him and putting a hand on his shoulder after handing the book to you.

"Thanks, pal. It really does take a village to raise a kid, doesn't it? Means a lot, but I've got it from here. Thanks again for being on the lookout. See you in a few." He spoke casually, turning to walk out of the room. You managed to wiggle your way up over Laser's shoulder just enough to wave goodbye to El-Bow, in which he waved back, giving a small, cutesy 'byeee!' before Laser left the room entirely with you in his arms.

* * *

You smiled as you remembered the encounter, and while you also remembered the first time you met the other members of that small P.O.I.N.T. group that your primarily spent your time with, you didn't have much of a chance to think back on it. 

"(Y/N), are you even listening?! Foxtail's giving you some VERY important information right now! For the sake of your safety! Do you even WANT to use this training facility?" Your father scolded you, making you jump a little as you held Hunter even closer to you. You nodded frantically, soon rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly and giving an apologetic smile to the adults.

"Sorry! I was distracted. It's just...memories. I remember this place a little bit, you know? I remember spending time here with L-" You stopped yourself before you could say 'LaserBlast', figuring that a deceased hero may have been a little inappropriate to bring up. "L...L-Lots of books! Yeah! I used to read a bunch, didn't I?" You tried to correct yourself, but all of the adults knew exactly who's name you were going to mention. Foxtail decided to ignore it, however, pretending as if she was oblivious.

"Yes, you were quite the reader. Your handwriting was really sloppy for a while, but you wrote a lot! Even if we couldn't read it all. Your mind was always running faster than your hands could work. But let's hope your body has caught up by now, since you're doing a bit more than writing some poems today! Listen up, because I'm not going to repeat myself again!" Her 'drill sergeant' voice was something that you knew all too well, but you had only heard it as she was addressing other heroes. You never thought that she'd be using it against you any time. "Your task is to shoot the moving obstacles with your magic! You will have 60 seconds to hit each and every target at least once, and sicking your griffin will not count! Fail to do so, and you'll redo the task until you get it right! Stay in place, move around, do whatever you have to to get the job done! Second round, you'll be EXPECTED to move around, as I will fire missiles at you as you attempt to hit your targets! They're not actual missiles, as they're made of styrofoam, but you can only get hit by 3 before the round restarts! You will have 75 seconds to hit all targets! Third round, your griffin may be used! That being said, your opponents will fire missiles at you, so you will have...10 targets all firing at you at once. You may only get hit twice, and will have 45 seconds to hit each target! Fourth and FINAL round, you will do the same thing as round three...but you will be expected to hit each target THRICE!" She held up three fingers, just to make sure that you understood. "And you will have 50 seconds that round. You are NOT allowed to use spells that will kill or otherwise cause long-term damage, long-term damage being classified by damages that will last for three days or more! You are not allowed to use any hand-to-hand melee attacks! You are not allowed to leave the arena! And most of all...do not do ANYTHING that will cause ANY harm to yourself or others around the arena! Have I been understood this time, day-dreamer!?"

Holy shit. You have NEVER been yelled at like that before. You felt like you were in the military, and you almost wanted to respond like you were a soldier. Darrell had ingrained it in you to be unapologetically funny, even if it got someone angry. Anything for a good laugh. It was so immature, but so fun.

"MA'AM YES MA'AM!" You responded in a heavy, stern voice, almost immediately having to hold back a snicker. Foxtail certainly noticed this, getting in your face and instantly wiping the smile off of your face.

"Excuse me!? Are you disrespecting me right now, when I have been so KIND as to give you training space to study for your exams!? Do you wish to find an ALTERNATIVE, (Y/N)?!" She barked at you, and with the way she towered over you and made you feel so small, there was no way you could try and crack a joke now.

"N-No, M-Ms. Foxtail, ma'am. I'm grateful, I promise! I'll behave now, I'm sorry!" You pleaded with her, Foxtail taking a step back and accepting this apology as being good enough for now. She sent you into the small arena gifted to you, and with your spell-book out, your wand ready, and Hunter sitting patiently outside in the arms of your mother, the simulation began.

* * *

By the end of your training, you found yourself nearly gasping for air, hearing the applause erupt from your family and Foxtail. Your full-grown familiar was by your side, in which you hopped onto his back so he could fly you back towards the adults. You sat up to look towards the adults, giving a small smile as they all stood extremely proud of you. You performed...alright. You weren't phenomenal, but you managed to get past the training exercise, and considering that it was an actual P.O.I.N.T. exercise, it must have been at LEAST good enough to train you up to the C round. You had memorized a couple of spells from your book by the second or third round, being unable to carry it around with you while you tried to get around and get every target in time. It was a lot harder than it looked, but you ended up testing the waters on some spells, and realized that some did rather impressive damage without any long-term effects, something that would be perfect for the tournament. 

"Well done, baby! That was amazing! You've improved so much since last year! I can tell you've been studying so hard!" Surprisingly, it was your father who said this to you, your mother gushing by his side as Foxtail pat your back with praise.

"I agree on the bit of you having a wonderful performance. Surely P.O.I.N.T. material if you keep it up. Of course, that was also a very basic training exercise, but without any prior P.O.I.N.T. schooling, it's impressive to see someone not even out of high school be so successful in the course. I'll surely take this into consideration when reviewing your auditions here this summer!" Foxtail spoke to you, making you smile ear to ear. It all almost made you want to become a hero, seeing all of these sweet, kind faces encourage you so much. 

Perhaps you'd have to see Lord Boxman and Professor Venomous soon, because as of now, villainy wasn't looking as great as it did a week ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh how the hell do I write this ummmm either way, I figured perhaps it would be interesting to learn a bit more about your abilities, and how much your school has taught you in the year since you've fought Darrell. You didn't know anything offensive back then, but seems like you're a bit more of a fighter now ;).

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm rEALLY wanting to make this into a series. Hopefully I can actually remember to update; updates will most likely be somewhere around once or twice a week, but who knows? I don't like schedules. This is a bit of a self insert, but I do hope that at least some of y'all can relate. I've yet to really see a good, long Darrell x Reader fic so here I am, giving it to you whether you want it or not. 
> 
> Please stay tuned! I don't know how long this is gonna be, but I want to fit a lot of stuff into this story, so it might run a little long!


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